By Emmanuel Yokoniya

The Presidential Debate Taskforce has justified its decision to exclude several presidential hopefuls from the upcoming debates ahead of the September 2025 elections, citing financial and logistical constraints.

Taskforce Chairperson Golden Matonga said only five candidates — from the governing Malawi Congress Party (MCP), United Democratic Front (UDF), Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), People’s Party (PP), and UTM Party — will take part in the debates.

The organisers have faced criticism for restricting participation to candidates from parties represented in Parliament, with some stakeholders calling the arrangement unfair and disenfranchising to excluded contenders.

Addressing journalists in Lilongwe, Matonga argued that including all 17 registered presidential candidates would compromise the quality of the debates.

“We only settled for candidates with realistic chances of winning the elections, and the five qualify. Even in advanced democracies such as the United States, which has more than 200 years of democratic tradition, debates are restricted to Democrats and Republicans,” he said.

The debates will be conducted in three phases, starting on August 21, 2025, at the Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe.