By The Forum

The gloves are off. The battle lines are drawn. And Malawi’s vice president, who now wants to unseat his boss, isn’t holding back.

Michael Usi, running for the presidency, has dismissed the promises of his opponents, including President Lazarus Chakwera, as unrealistic and contemptuous.

It’s an unusual feud for the State House: a president and vice president openly at odds. Usi became vice president following the death of his UTM party leader, Saulosi Chilima, in a plane crash last June. UTM had entered a coalition with Chakwera’s Malawi Congress Party (MCP) after a court-ordered rerun of the annulled 2019 presidential elections. The Tonse Alliance, comprising MCP, UTM, and smaller parties, defeated the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

The plot thickened when Usi, still serving as vice president, quit UTM to form his own party, Odya Zake Alibe Mulandu.

On the campaign trail over the weekend, Usi, who is one of 17 presidential hopefuls, blasted what he called hollow promises and systemic roadblocks to progress.

“We have a fuel shortage crisis, no fertilizer,” Usi said. “Where is the money going to come from to do the things that are being promised?”

He urged leaders to “tell the truth” before delivering his most stinging accusation: “The impact of your suffering would have been felt less if there was no corruption in the government.”

Usi alleged a culture of bribery and kickbacks in the corridors of power, stifling development.

“Trust me when I say these things,” he added. “I am the vice president of this country.”

MCP has faced backlash for pledges critics say are impossible to fulfill, most notably its promise to give every newborn K500,000, later revised to K50,000, a 90% cut. Skeptics argue such payouts could encourage higher birth rates in a nation of 22 million, ranked among the world’s poorest, where most people live on less than $2.15 a day, according to the World Bank.