John Tembo - 2009 Presidential Election

2009 Presidential Election

On November 1, 2008, Tembo was unanimously elected as the MCP's 2009 presidential candidate at the MCP National Convention held at the Natural Resources College in Lilongwe. Tembo was to face President Mutharika, who was running for a second term as the candidate of the newly formed Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Tembo was considered the main opposition candidate, and the MCP formed an electoral alliance with Muluzi and the UDF prior to the election; the old foes came together with the goal of defeating Mutharika, their mutual enemy. Tembo's vice-presidential candidate was Brown Mpinganjira of the UDF. Observing that the DPP had never participated in an election (it was founded in 2005), Tembo argued that he and the MCP had the experience to govern the country properly: "I belong to the past, I belong to the present and I also belong to the future."

Observers expected a close election between the two strongest candidates, Mutharika and Tembo. While Tembo enjoyed the united backing of the country's two most established and powerful parties—the MCP and the UDF—he faced an incumbent President who had presided over strong economic growth of 8%, and the outcome was considered uncertain.

Ultimately, Mutharika won an overwhelming victory in the election, according to official results, and Tembo alleged fraud. Afterwards, some in the MCP called for the party to recognize Mutharika's victory and for Tembo to resign as MCP President. Tembo refused and vowed to legally challenge the results. He was re-elected as the MCP MP for Dedza South in the concurrent parliamentary election. The MCP's strength in parliament was seriously reduced in that election, as it retained only 25 MPs, while Mutharika's DPP secured a large majority of seats; nevertheless, the MCP remained the second largest party in the National Assembly. When Tembo was sworn in again as an MP on June 2, 2009, he vowed that he would continue as Leader of the Opposition during the 2009–2014 parliamentary term, despite apparently substantial dissent within the MCP.

Parliament initially refused to recognize Tembo as Leader of the Opposition, but in late August 2009 the High Court ordered it to do so on an interim basis.

As MCP President, Tembo opposed the government's move to change the national flag in mid-2010, arguing that the government was "playing with serious matters of the state and the constitution put up by our forefathers."