Malawi Congress Party
Malawi Congress Party | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | MCP |
| President | Lazarus Chakwera |
| Secretary-General | Richard Chimwendo Banda |
| Treasurer General | John Paul |
| Publicity Secretary | Jessie Kabwila |
| Founder | Orton Chirwa Aleke Banda |
| Founded | 30 September 1959 |
| Preceded by | Nyasaland African Congress |
| Headquarters | Lilongwe |
| Youth wing | Malawi Young Pioneers (disbanded) |
| Ideology | Ubuntu Conservatism African nationalism Anti-communism Historical under Hastings Banda: Pro-state-owned enterprises Pro-state ownership |
| Political position |
|
| Regional affiliation | Democrat Union of Africa |
| International affiliation | Centrist Democrat International |
| Colors | Black, Red and Green |
| National Assembly | 52 / 229 |
| SADC PF | 0 / 5 |
| Pan-African Parliament | 0 / 5 |
| Election symbol | |
| Cockerel | |
| Website | |
| www | |
The Malawi Congress Party (MCP) is a political party in Malawi. It was formed as a successor party to the banned Nyasaland African Congress when the country, then known as Nyasaland, was under British rule. The MCP, under Hastings Banda, presided over Malawian independence in 1964. From 1966 to 1993, the MCP was the only legal party in the country, and the party continued to be a major force in the country after losing power in the 1994 Malawian general election.
MCP returned to power in 2020 as part of the Tonse Alliance, a coalition formed with other parties including the United Transformation Movement and the People's Party, when its leader Lazarus Chakwera won the presidential election and led the government. However, after the alliance later collapsed, the MCP lost its hold on the presidency in the 2025 general election when the incumbent Chakwera conceded defeat to Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party. As a result, MCP is now an opposition party at the national level.
The party remains one of the dominant forces in Malawian politics, with strong support especially in the central region, and continues to be influential in Parliament and local governance.