Gwandaguluwe "Gwanda" Chakuamba Phiri (4 April 1934 – 24 October 2016) was a

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeas ...

an politician who was the leader of the New Republican Party (NRP). He hailed from

Nsanje Nsanje (formerly Port Herald) is the main city in Nsanje District within the Southern Region of Malawi. The intense urbanization in the fertile Shire River valley has formed an extensive urbanized zone that runs from the city of Bangula, furt ...

, a district on the southern part of Malawi. Gwanda Chakuamba attended Zomba Catholic Secondary School, a 2 year metriculation at Sulosi College in Bulawayo Zimbabwe before proceeding to the US to study law though not much is known about whether he did a degree program or a short course. From the country's independence in 1964 until 1980, Chakuamba was a key figure within the

Malawi Congress Party 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, pres ...

(MCP), which was the sole legal political party. During the rule of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Hastings Kamuzu Banda Hastings Kamuzu Banda (1898 – 25 November 1997) was the prime minister and later president of Malawi from 1964 to 1994 (from 1964 to 1966, Malawi was an independent Dominion / Commonwealth realm). In 1966, the country became a republic and ...

, he held many cabinet positions and was Commander of the MCP youth group Malawi Young Pioneers. Chakuamba opposed John Tembo. In February 1980, Chakuamba was charged, on the behest of Tembo and Kadzamira, with sedition and given a 22-year prison sentence. He was released from jail in July 1993, a month after voters endorsed a return to

multiparty In political science, a multi-party system is a political system in which multiple political parties across the political spectrum run for national elections, and all have the capacity to gain control of government offices, separately or in coal ...

politics in a referendum. Upon his release, he joined the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) but soon returned to the MCP and became

secretary-general Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

of the party. In February 1994, the MCP announced that Banda was to be the party's presidential candidate in the forthcoming general election; Chakuamba was the

vice-president A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...

ial candidate. In Malawi's first multiparty elections, held on 17 May 1994, Bakili Muluzi and his UDF party defeated Banda and the MCP. Banda retired from politics in August 1994 and Chakuamba succeeded to the party leadership. In February 1999, an electoral alliance between the MCP and the Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) was announced in preparation for upcoming elections that would take place in May. Gwanda Chakuamba was chosen as the coalition's presidential candidate while AFORD leader

Chakufwa Chihana Chakufwa Chihana (23 April 1939 – 12 June 2006) was a Malawian human rights activist, pro-democracy advocate, trade unionist and later, politician. He held the post of Second Vice President in Malawi, under President Bakili Muluzi. He is often ...

was selected as the vice-presidential candidate. The move created serious divisions within the MCP because Chakuamba didn't select his political rival and fellow party member

John Tembo John Zenus Ungapake Tembo (born September 14, 1932
, Xinhua, May 19, 2004.) is a

Elections in Malawi
African Elections Database. Despite declarations from international observers that the elections were largely free and fair, the MCP-AFORD coalition filed two petitions with the high court, challenging Muluzi's victory and the results in 16 districts claiming irregularities. The court later dismissed the claims. In October 2002, Chakuamba was briefly arrested (before being freed on bail), accused of forging a letter purported to be from Muluzi that offered bribes to members of parliament if they would support his attempt to change the constitution to run for a third term as president. In the months prior to the 2004

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative ...

, Chakuamba left the MCP and created the Republican Party (RP). The RP joined forces with six other parties to form the Mgwirizano Coalition. Chakuamba was selected as the coalition's presidential candidate. According to official results, he placed third in the 20 May 2004 election, behind

Bingu wa Mutharika Bingu wa Mutharika (; born Brightson Webster Ryson Thom; 24 February 1934 – 5 April 2012) was a Malawian politician and economist who was President of Malawi from May 2004 until his death in April 2012. He was also President of the Demo ...

of the UDF and Tembo of the MCP, winning 25.7% of the vote. Soon after the vote, before any official results were announced, Chakuamba claimed to have won the election and said that exit polls showing Mutharika in the lead were false. Mutharika was sworn in as president on May 24, although Chakuamba denounced his victory as fraudulent. In early June, however, Chakuamba dropped his threat to challenge the result and agreed to support Mutharika's government; he did not receive a cabinet position, but three other members of the RP did. In February 2005, Chakuamba was made Minister of Agriculture. He left the Republican Party and joined the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which was created by Mutharika following his decision to leave the UDF in February, and was elected interim first vice-president of the party."MALAWI: Opposition leader's arrest "miscalculated", say analysts"
irinnews.org, 19 September 2005. In September 2005, he was removed from his post as Minister of Agriculture, and, days later, detained for questioning over a speech in which he predicted that President Mutharika would be out of office by Christmas. Chakuamba subsequently left the DPP and formed the New Republican Party (NRP). Following the death of Mutharika's wife Ethel in 2007, Chakuamba criticized Mutharika for failing to inform the people of her illness."Chakuamba’s NRP to disband"
, ''Nyasa Times'', 26 May 2009. He initially backed Muluzi, who attempted to run again as the UDF candidate, for the 2009 presidential election. On 26 August 2007, while addressing a UDF rally along with Muluzi, Chakuamba called for Tembo, the MCP leader, to stand as Muluzi's running-mate in the next election, emphasizing the importance of opposition unity to defeat Mutharika."Malawi groups fail to agree on poll candidate"
AFP (''IOL''), 29 August 2007. Tembo rejected Chakuamba's proposal two days later.Daniel Nyirenda
"I can’t be No. 2 --JZU"
, ''The Daily Times'' (Malawi), 29 August 2007. Chakuamba switched sides again at the time of the May 2009 presidential election, supporting President Mutharika against Tembo, who was the joint candidate of the MCP and UDF. As an NRP candidate, Chakuamba also ran for a parliamentary seat from Nsanje North Constituency, but was defeated by DPP candidate Frank Ellias. The NRP won no seats in the election, and shortly after its defeat, Chakuamba again announced that he was retiring from politics, saying he would focus on farming.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chakuamba, Gwanda 1934 births 2016 deaths United Democratic Front (Malawi) politicians Malawi Congress Party politicians Republican Party (Malawi) politicians Democratic Progressive Party (Malawi) politicians Government ministers of Malawi Malawian prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of Malawi