US embassy cable - 05LILONGWE152

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LILONGWE 000152 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
FOR AF/S, INR/AA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, MI, Political, President, United Democratic Front 
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT TO LAUNCH NEW PARTY; UDF DEFECTIONS 
CONTINUE 
 
REF: LILONGWE 117 
 
1. (U) Summary: President Mutharika intends to form a new 
political party called the Democratic Progressive Party 
(DPP).  Mutharika has stated that, unlike his predecessor, 
he will not be involved in the administration of the party, 
but will only serve as its symbolic head.  Meanwhile, the 
president has gathered significant public support following 
his resignation from the United Democratic Front (UDF), and 
the exodus from that party continues.  End summary. 
 
New Party, New Style of Management 
---------------------------------- 
 
2. (SBU) President Mutharika has indicated that he intends 
to launch a new political party, the Democratic Progressive 
Party (DPP).  In an interview with BBC last week and again 
in a meeting with heads of mission of donor countries on 
February 13, the President discussed his intention to form 
the new party, although he has not yet made a formal 
announcement. 
 
3. (SBU) The president told the donor heads unequivocally 
that "I can run this country without a party", but he 
admitted that he must think ahead to the next general 
election in 2009 and consolidate his political base. 
Mutharika claimed that there is a "mass exodus" from the UDF 
going on, even in rural areas that have been traditional 
party strongholds.  He said that support for a new party has 
"come on like wildfire" and that he must capture that 
political momentum.  The president emphasized that he will 
only be the figurehead of the DPP and will not be involved 
in its operations.  He added that he would appoint a 
secretary general to run the party, that auditors will be 
 
SIPDIS 
hired, and that unlike Muluzi's UDF, he will not personally 
control the party's assets. 
 
Growing Support for Mutharika 
----------------------------- 
 
4. (U) There has been a wave of public support for Mutharika 
since his resignation from the UDF, from a wide range of 
political figures.  Most of the UDF's senior members have 
expressed their support for the president and some have 
resigned from the party.  Almost the entire Cabinet, 23 
independent parliamentarians, and a number of other veteran 
politicians-- including opposition leaders Gwanda Chakuamba 
of the Republican Party (RP) and Aleke Banda of the People's 
Progressive Movement (PPM)-- have sided with the president. 
Many grassroots supporters are also reported to be 
abandoning the UDF. 
 
5. (U) Some notable defections from the UDF include: 
 
- Uladi Mussa, Minister of Home Affairs and Internal 
Security. On February 8 Mussa resigned from the party and 
declared himself an independent MP.  He also publicly called 
on Muluzi to resign from the UDF Chairmanship and retire 
from politics. 
 
- Dr. Isaac Lamba, historian and former Ambassador to the 
UN.  Lamba announced his resignation from the UDF on 
February 4. He had previously served as UDF regional 
Governor for the Central Region. 
 
- Dr. Ben Dzowela, chairman of the agricultural parastatal 
ADMARC.  Dzowela resigned from the UDF National Executive 
Committee on February 1, but has retained his membership in 
the party.  During the Muluzi Administration Dzowela served 
as Ambassador-at-Large (at the Foreign Affairs) and Chair of 
the University of Malawi Council.  Dr. Dzowela said that 
since "ADMARC is Parastatal Number 1" he felt he had to send 
a clear message that he was with the President and not 
Muluzi. 
 
- Yusuf Mwawa, Minister of Education and Leader of the House 
in Parliament announced his resignation from the UDF NEC, 
but retained his seat in Parliament as a member of the UDF. 
 
- Salule Masangwi, formerly the UDF's official spokesman, 
resigned that position on February 1, but remains a member 
of the party. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
6. (SBU) One unknown quantity in this equation is Vice 
President Cassim Chilumpha, who is also Water Development 
Minister.  Chilumpha is known to be a close ally of Muluzi, 
and he has remained noticeably silent while most of the 
Cabinet members have been trumpeting their support for 
Mutharika.  There is plenty of speculation on the street 
about Chilumpha's future, but under Malawi's constitution 
his job is secure, since the vice president is directly 
elected and can only be removed from office through an 
impeachment process. 
 
7. (SBU) Independent MPs and former UDF members who have 
declared their support and loyalty to President Mutharika 
are probably going to end up in the new DPP.  Malawians will 
see many of them as political opportunists; this mass 
desertion is reminiscent of politicians' abandonment of the 
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) for opposition parties during 
Malawi's democratization process from 1992 to 1994. 
 
8. (U) Independent parliamentarians may join the DPP without 
breaching Malawi's parliamentary aisle-crossing law, which 
only prevents MPs from switching from one party to another 
within Parliament.  Moving from independent to an entirely 
new party, or moving from party member to independent is not 
explicitly prohibited.  Mutharika's challenge lies not so 
much in the constitutionality of his alliances but in the 
political alliances of Parliament.  Some observers estimate 
that he will have about a 50/50 split in his parliamentary 
support, which may make for a difficult road ahead. 
 
GILMOUR