Malawi in 2005

Malawi in 2005

Area: 118,484 sq km (45,747 sq mi)
Population (2005 est.): 12,707,000
Capital: Lilongwe; judiciary meets in Blantyre
Head of state and government: President Bingu wa Mutharika

In February 2005, Pres. Bingu wa Mutharika resigned from Malawi’s ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) to form the Democratic Progressive Party. He said that he had done so to preserve the integrity of his office in light of the corruption among members of his government. The UDF called for the impeachment of the president for quitting the party that had sponsored him. Debate on the proposal was adjourned after the unexpected death of the speaker of the parliament on June 27. Nevertheless, demonstrations for and against impeachment grew more violent, leading to the suspension of the parliament on October 24 and the arrest of three UDF members of the parliament who were among the fiercest critics of the president.

Early in the year an IMF team praised the government for its control of public spending and the president for his campaign against corruption. Opposition in the parliament to the contents of the budget delayed its approval, however, until local protest and UN pressure persuaded the government to make concessions that averted the prospect of a holdup in securing debt relief. In October the donor community expressed its concern over the impact of the impeachment proceedings on a country suffering from an acute food crisis, an intervention that opposition leaders regarded as an unwelcome interference in Malawi’s internal affairs.

Kenneth Ingham