By The Forum

Malawi Vice President, Michael Usi has become the latest politician to join this year’s presidential election race after collecting his nomination papers from the election management body, the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC).

Usi, 56, is president for the Odya Zake Alibe Mlandu — a political party initially launched as a movement –established after leaving the UTM party in the aftermath of the death of ex Malawi Vice President, Saulos Chilima.

Usi was Chilima’s running mate in the abortive 2019 Presidential Election which was nullified by the Malawi Constitutional Court due to a myriad of electoral irregularities.

When a fresh vote was called, the UTM entered into a nine party alliance under whose terms Chilima, became running mate to Chakwera and when the pair won, Usi was given a position in cabinet.

Following Chilima’s death in a plane crash in June 2024 in Chikangawa, on the outskirts of the northern city of Mzuzu, President Chakwera named Usi the new Vice President, but by this time UTM members were agitating for an end to their political marriage with President Chakwera’s Malawi Congress Party (MCP).

Usi remained in Chakwera’s government and subsequently he and the UTM parted ways with the former comedian returning to Odya Zake Alibe Mlandu which he had disbanded after joining UTM.

Although Usi and his Odya Zake Alibe Mlandu have been holding political rallies, many did not believe the vice president would challenge his boss, President Chakwera, for the State House job, but today he became the 18th aspirant to pay a MK10 million nomination fee and collect nomination papers as a candidate in the upcoming presidential race.

It is expected that the list of candidates will continue to grow as payment of nomination fees and collection of nomination papers continues until later this month on July 30.