Monday, January 25, 2010

Parliament meets Tuesday in Lilongwe

Speaker of the National Assembly Henry Chimunthu Banda. Pic by Malawi Digest.

By Lucy Liponda

The Malawi National Assembly starts meeting in the country’s administrative capital, Lilongwe on Tuesday.

State President Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa Mutharika is expected to officially open this new session of Parliament following the prorogation of the previous one.

During the official opening, the State President will perform the State opening of the 42nd Session of Parliament at exactly 10:00am.

Under the Malawi Constitution, the State President has powers to prorogue parliament, meaning all the business from the previous session automatically falls-off.

According to Speaker of the National Assembly Henry Chimunthu-Banda, State President Ngwazi Dr Bingu wa Mutharika prorogued Parliament in December 2010.

The Speaker says that as a result, the new session starting on Tuesday will start afresh with no business being carried forward from the previous session.

According to information gathered from the Speaker’s officer at Mbelwa building in the heart of Lilongwe, featuring high on the new Parliamentary session will be a mid-year review on the national budget.

The 192 strong house will start business in welcoming two newly elected Members of Parliament in the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s Fredrick Kamwangala of Lilongwe North West and Donnex Mpuzeni of the opposition UDF in Machinga South East.

The two newly elected legislators won by-elections held in the two areas on January 12, 2010.

Kamwangala replaces the late Ishmael Chafukira who died last year under mysterious circumstances whilst Mpuzeni replaces Rev. Wilson Ndomondo of the opposition UDF party.

Ndomondo was thrown out of the National Assembly after cheating the Malawi Electoral Commission by contesting in the May 19th general elections when he was a convict.

The Malawi Constitution does not allow convicts to seek a public office unless after seven years when seeking a Parliamentary seat.

Meanwhile, Parliament is also expected to observe a minute of silent for two legislators who lost their lives during the recess period.

These fallen MPs are Hastings Petros Chitsamba of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party for Dowa South East and Ajinga Hilalie Hassan of the opposition UDF from Mangochi-Malombe-Malawi Digest.

3 comments:

  1. Kukumana ndi kumeneku koma mukambiraneko zakupsa osati makangozana bzala. Tione kusintha dzikoli ndi chilala chagwa m'dziko munochi. Komanso osaiwala kukumbutsana zotsegulira misika ya ADMARC kuti izigulitsa chimanga. Mukachedwetsa anthu akuferaninso ngati chaka cha 2001 chija!

    Tine,
    Lilongwe

    ReplyDelete
  2. Zoona sizoti mukakambirana za budget ya ukwati wa a bingu ndi a Callista. Chitukuko ndi chomwe chikufunika monga chomanga ma sekondale ndi zipatala.

    Chicco
    BT

    ReplyDelete
  3. A Speaker musiye kaye kulira maliro kuti a president akulandana mkazi Calista, you should concentrate on your job as Speaker. Mkazi muli naye kale wina ndipo Calista akanakutheserani banja a Speaker.

    Kamvabhingu
    Lilongwe

    ReplyDelete