Malawi President Chakwera secures his party's support for second term bid

BLANTYRE (Reuters) - Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera has secured his party's support to run for a second term in next year's election, but his chances of retaining power may depend on his Malawi Congress Party finding a strong alliance partner.

The MCP, which had been in an electoral alliance with the United Transformation Movement since 2020, now lacks a formidable ally after the UTM said it would pull out of the partnership after the death of former Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima in a plane crash in June.

Chilima was the leader of the UTM and his party helped Chakwera secure an absolute majority in the 2020 election. Malawi's political system requires a presidential candidate to secure more than 50% of the votes to be declared winner.

Chakwera told delegates at an MCP convention that endorsed his bid for a second term that he believed support for his party has grown since the last election.

"This is no ordinary convention because it is the convention of the party that will win in 2025," Chakwera said in his address late on Thursday.

"We are growing in strength every day as more people from other parties join us, as the MCP's founding families remain here and as those who left the party are returning."

The MCP, founded by the country's first president Hastings Kamuzu Banda, returned to power in 2020 after 26 years in opposition as it promised to deal with corruption and grow the economy.

But opposition parties say the MCP has failed to deliver on its promises as the economy remains fragile.

Chakwera's leading challenger is former President Peter Mutharika, who is expected to be endorsed by the main opposition Democratic Progress Party's convention later this month.

(Reporting by Frank Phiri; Editing by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo and Toby Chopra)