President Peter Mutharika of Malawi dissolves cabinet

Last updated on September 11th, 2021 at 02:59 pm

President of Malawi Peter Mutharika has dissolved his cabinet 150 days before the country is due to hold a fresh election.

A statement released by the government chief secretary Lloyd Muhara at the weekend said the president was exercising his discretionary powers to hire a new cabinet.

Malawi has been experiencing political turmoil since the presidential elections last May, whose results the Constitutional Court subsequently nullified.

Mutharika won the elections amid allegations of vote-rigging. Opposition parties took their claims to court resulting last month’s landmark ruling.

Mutharika is appealing the Constitutional Court judgement.

Various News agency cited analysts as saying the dissolution of the cabinet would allow the president to appoint members of the opposition United Democratic Front as cabinet members in an attempt to form an electoral alliance.

“If that is the route that a president takes, then it is dangerous because you don’t run a government (by) appeasing people,” AFP quoted Maurice Munthali, the spokesman for the main opposition Malawi Congress Party, as saying.

“You have to run the government in a way that benefits the people of the country.”

(African News Agency)