Of choice of running mates and voters’ aspirations

In this interview I solicit views of Chancellor College associate professor of political science Blessings Chinsinga on the ongoing debate regarding the choice of running mates as the country will soon see presidential candidates presenting their nomination papers

Q: In your observation and analysis, do choices of presidential running mates in Malawi respond to people’s aspirations?

A: In the first place, I need to underscore that the choice of a vice-president by a president reflects the strategy of that political party. What I have noted in Malawi is that choices of presidential running mates do not respond to aspirations of Malawians. Often, presidents are constrained by the country’s political realities. We should not forget that our politics is fragmented along regional lines. That is why when choosing a presidential running mate, most presidents focus mainly on regional balance. The quality of the considered person is not there. The concern is mostly on the running mate’s capacity to bring voters.

Q: Is there any problem with this?

A: Oh yes! A big one. The focus of choosing a running mate, as you can see, is on helping the party to win an election, not the capacity of the person to help in governing the country. There is hardly a consideration of the chosen person’s capacity to govern. That is why after helping to win the election, we have noted that, in terms of governing the country, there has always been a rift between the president and vice-president.

Q: What should presidential candidates mostly consider, then, when choosing a running mate?

A: A vice-president, and we have already seen, can be a president as well. What is important, then, is to make sure that the presidential candidate chooses a running mate who is presidential. Someone who has a proven record of leadership not somebody who will need on the job training. Not only that.

Presidential candidates should, in the first place, search within themselves and find their weakness. The running mate, therefore, should be somebody who will not just complement the presidential candidates’ weaknesses, but also reinforce their strengths.

Q: What would you consider as the cause of presidential candidates’ failure to come up with strong running mates?

A: It all stems from the nature of the country’s politics. Our political parties are loosely connections of few individuals who share a dream of getting a key to power. They are political parties that do not root from serious political project—or driven by a shared ideology they want to pursue to develop Malawi. It is this nature of our politics that makes it difficult for presidential candidates to easily come up with a strong running mate.

Q: Some people argue political parties need to reverse the absolute powers they give to their presidents to choose a running mate. They argue that party members, through the convention, should be electing a running mate. What is your take?

A:

I do not agree with the view that party members should take a role in electing a running mate. I still think it is good that we should leave it to the presidential candidate. If things are not working with the presidential candidates’ own choice, what if you involve others in the choosing? Won’t it become an excuse that they were given a person they did not understand?

What we should be talking about here is a need for reorganising our politics. Most of our parties are like ghosts—they only emerge during election period and after that, they vanish. They are entrenched as an organisation that can handle and manage power. To handle and manage power, you need to grow and learn to be effective. I am afraid; we still have a long way to go on this.

Q:

There is a concern that running mates always come at the eleventh hour. If you share this view, what impact does it have on political parties?

A:

I think it is important if we can have a situation where running mates should be known quickly. The situation we have at present does not give room not just for voters to scrutinise the chosen running mate but also political parties to respond to the choice in case there will be a need of redress. In fact, the other challenge is that the president and the running mate do not have enough time to sit down, discuss and plan how they will execute their campaign. This, eventually, affects both the party and voters alike.