By now, Malawians should have learned the hard truth: alliances in this country are not built on principle, policy, or public interest—they are stitched together in the dead of night by two strong men with loyal followings, united only by their shared hatred for the incumbent. That is not democracy. That is opportunism. And Malawi deserves better.
Let’s not sugarcoat it. In the current political climate, alliances are nothing more than convenient arrangements forged in desperation. They are not backed by law. They are not bound by accountability. And they certainly don’t protect the voter. In fact, the Malawian voter is the biggest loser in these shady coalitions.
Take the Tonse Alliance, for example. Nine parties, one grand promise—and now, only bitter memories. Power imbalances, secrecy, and betrayal defined the post-election experience. Supporters were used as stepping stones to State House, then discarded. To this day, no Malawian knows the contents of the Tonse agreement. It was a pact made by elites, for elites, and the people were left in the dark.
That’s why it’s not only misguided but dangerous to think that alliances will “save” us in 2025. What exactly are we aligning around? Shared values? A common manifesto? No. We’re aligning around hatred for whoever’s in power. That’s not coalition-building—it’s vengeance dressed up in campaign colours.
And without laws to hold these alliances accountable, the entire exercise is a farce. We don’t have statutes that enforce coalition agreements, ensure shared symbols, or demand post-election transparency. There is no mechanism to guarantee that promises made on the campaign trail are honoured once power is secured. Voters are asked to trust ghost deals sealed behind closed doors, while the architects of these alliances get a free pass to govern unchecked.
Until Malawi passes laws that legally bind alliance partners to their promises and structures, we must reject these political marriages of convenience. If we continue allowing politicians to treat coalitions as temporary power grabs, then we are only perpetuating the cycle of betrayal.
Let’s be honest: most of these so-called “smaller parties” aren’t bringing policies to the table—they’re bringing numbers. They show up at the negotiation table not to offer ideas, but to negotiate positions. Cabinet seats. Diplomatic posts. Contracts. That’s not coalition-building. That’s transactional politics.
It’s time we stop legitimising these hollow pacts. If a party believes it can govern, let it face the electorate on its own terms. Let it campaign on its manifesto, not on borrowed popularity. Let it prove its worth by winning trust, not by clinging to the coattails of a stronger figure.
And until we have legal frameworks that make alliances transparent, enforceable, and accountable, Malawi is better off without them.
Because right now, they don’t protect the voter—they exploit them.
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