Nankhumwa accuses Mutharika of threatening Malawi Parliament’s independence
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Nyasa Times
People’s Development Party leader Kondwani Nankhumwa accused Malawi’s president, Arthur Peter Mutharika, of threatening Parliament’s independence by postponing the budget review session scheduled from 9 November to 11 December 2026. He called on the Speaker to reinstate the session, according to his public statement.
The leader of Malawi’s People’s Development Party (PDP), Kondwani Nankhumwa, has accused President Arthur Peter Mutharika of threatening Parliament’s independence by postponing the mid-year budget review session. In a statement, he called on the Speaker of the National Assembly to reinstate the sessions scheduled from 9 November to 11 December 2026, Nyasa Times reports.
Kondwani Nankhumwa said Article 59(1) of the Constitution does not give the president the unilateral power to cancel a session already on the calendar. He said the dates of subsequent ordinary sittings are set by Parliament itself and criticised the Speaker for following the directive without explaining its legal basis. He also called for the parliamentary committee responsible for parliamentary business to have been consulted.
The session was intended to allow MPs to examine public spending as Malawians face economic difficulties, according to Nankhumwa. He said a postponement without legal justification would weaken democratic oversight of state finances.
The challenge comes after announcements of the postponement of Parliament to fund the response to El Niño and fuel and the postponement of the budget session to prepare for El Niño, published on 27 and 29 October.
