The collapsing alliance between MCP and UTM suffered a brutal blow when all the 26 governors and their committees for UTM in central region defected to DPP.
This is a particularly significant blow for three reasons. First, the defection weakens UTM in the region which contributed significantly to Saulos Chilima’s vote tally in the elections last year. Secondly, directly related to this is the fact that it takes away large numbers of voters that would have voted for the alliance candidate in the fresh elections in July. But most importantly, it is yet another evidence of disapproval of the alliance between the two parties. Analysts have said an alliance between MCP and UTM is untenable as they are evidently ideologically different from each other.
Besides Lazarus Chakwera and Saulos Chilima and their respective followers have a strong mistrust against each other. As the 26 governors and their structures got officially welcomed into the DPP on Friday, they expressed this mistrust.
They said they had dumped UTM because they dreaded the prospect of allying themselves with a party which committed untold atrocities in its 31-year rule. They said they did not want to be part of the instrument which killed thousands of Malawians and which could turn on them should the alliance win the election with Lazarus Chakwera as its leader.
The defection of the 26 governors, chair ladies and youth directors is a telling signal to UTM that it risks going into extinction faster than could be imagined should it continue to force itself into an alliance with MCP.
