It never rains but pours for the President of Malawi Dr. Bingu Wa MUtharika because before a month could lapse after the death of his wife Ethel Mutharika ,the opposition are planning to impeach him from power.
Sources from the main opposition parties represented in Parliament, Malawi Congress Party and United Democratic Front , indicate that they have set up a committee to ensure that the President should be impeachment after the Speaker of Parliament Louis Chimango declares seats vacant of Members of Parliament supporting Democratic Progessive Party,the Presidents’s Party.
Parliament will start meeting this Friday.
Sources say the committee will ensure that proper procedures of impeachment are put in place so that they are not rejected again by the courts.
The Supreme Court of Appeal in Malawi recently ruled that Members of Parliament who were sponsored by their party cross the floor when they join another party.
Most members of parliament who are now Democratic Progessive Party members belonged to other parties represented in Parliament and have been affected by the rulling.
The opposition is therefore taking advantage of their majority in Parliament to impeach the President.
Sources from the Democratic Progressive Party indicate that they have hired a number of lawyers to help the members of parliament affected by the ruling.
The source say it may not be possible for impeachment to be succesful because affected members of parliament will get court injuctions and will still attend parliament.
"It takes long for courts to settle cases.It may take another two years and this will mean members of parliament will finish their term in March 2008,said the source.
Two years ago the opposition nearly impeached the President of Malawi but was saved by a court injuction from a member of Parliament ,Richard Msowoya ,who is now in the President’s cabinet .
Later the court ruled that the impeachment procedures didnot follow rules of natural justice.
Framers of the Malawi constitution put a senate which could handle cases of impeachment.
However, when the United Democratic Front government took over from Malawi Congress Party in the 1994 elections, they removed the senate.
According to legal sources, without the senate, which can handle impeachment of a President.the impeachment will not be legal.
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