The Tonse alliance main shareholder Malawi Congress Party (MCP)’s deputy director of research and lawmaker for Chikwawa South Constituency, Elias Karim is unheralded political gladiator for the party in the Southern region.
Since the death of Mohammed Sidik Mia, who was the force which immensely contributed to the success of Africa’s first opposition coalition to defeat a sitting president in a court sanctioned repeat elections, there have been questions of who would be another political giant in the southern region.
While Mia’s wife, Abida Mia is a firebrand politician in her own right, analysts have noted that Karim is unsung hero who won against all odds in the 2019 elections on MCP ticket and was also instrumental to expose rigging in some constituencies which led to the court’s nullification.
Karim spearheaded the By-Elections campaign that MCP won the two seats on March 31, 2021-Nsanje north and Nsanje central Constituencies.
Late Sidik Mia died with “the Shire Valley Giant” tag left by the late Gwanda Chakuamba who helped MCP win all Parliamentary seats in Nsanje in 1994.
Political commentators Enerst Thindwa, a lecturer at the University of Malawi’s Chancellor College testifies saying that the late Mia may not have been in the same league as Chakuamba but he made MCP look bigger than its central region stronghold.
University of Livingstonia political scientist George Phiri echoed that Karim is one of the politicians that MCP can bank on for its growth in the southern region.
“He is youthful and has grassroots connection,” he said.
Karim’s political status would be raised if President Lazarus Chakwera could name him in the cabinet as deputy minister or ant ministerial position
On MCP’s gains in Enock Chizuzu winner in Nsanje North Constituency and Kafandikhale Mandevana winner in Nsanje Central Constituency, political analysts said they needed time to grow in the party politics to be considered as heavyweights.
The Analysts have however cautioned Chakwera appointing Chizuzu and Mandevana in the cabinet when they have just elected to the August House-of course with Karim as their king maker.
President Chakwera is set to make first cabinet reshuffle since winning the court-sanctioned fresh presidential election held on June 23, 2020..
In the new cabinet, President is also expected to make replacement for two portfolios-Transport and Public works and Local government which fell vacant in January after their respective holders Sidik Mia and Lingson Belekanyama who succumbed to Covid-19.
Chakwera failed to reshuffle the cabinet for three times as promised on July 8, 2020 when released the first cabinet after taking reins of power.’ (SOURCE-MARAVI POST)
no one rigged that election. its fanny to note that we deliberately ignore the truth that the planed conspiracy to overthrow apm once voted back into power was revealed by the intelligence and it was really executed with deadly violence that made him unable to govern malawi and it was all well excuted as planned. the 2 senior judges who presided over the case were interested parties because they had a grudge against dpp in defending the expiry of their contracts. these two guys were not supposed to be part of the team that presided over the case. there was total injustice to that case and we must be thankful to GOD that we had a cool guy who valued peace, love and harmony. this guy is the true hero of them all. what people are hiding to reveal is the uggly face some parties are wearing. the bulling tactics to scare away other party monitors at the polling centres and the beating of some party supporters who put on that party’s legalia when celebrating their robbed off victory. this is how dictatorship comes into effect. believe you me 2025 polls will witness bloody uggly scenes we had never witnessed before. How can people salute the brutes as true heroes. We are really in for another deadly drama.