In an interesting twist of events, we can reveal that Justice Minister Bright Msaka and fellow cabinet minister Kondwani Nankhumwa have the ambition to serve as Acting President and Acting Vice President hoping for simultaneous vacancy in the two offices of State President and State Vice President come 3rd July 2020 without the elections.
This is even dangerous to President Peter Mutharika who insiders say is not aware of the grand plan by his cabinet ministers.
Insiders said President Mutharika is not being told the truth about the constitutional amendment bills that government wants to table before parliament with an aim of delaying the fresh presidential elections as ordered by the High Court sitting as a Constitutional Court and upheld by the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal.
“The truth is that Hon. Bright Msaka has been canvassing the leadership in DPP to resist the fresh presidential elections on 23 June 2020. He is pushing for these constitutional amendment bills through Parliament with an aim of delaying the elections beyond the July 3, 2020 court ordered deadline. If that happens, then he will get support from his cabinet colleagues to be appointed as Acting President since there will be a vacuum in that office and Mutharika would have lost his mandate to rule. Nankhumwa will be appointed Acting Vice President. Mind you it will be cabinet appointing these two and that have already worked out their numbers,” said an impeccable source privy to the scheme.
“The sad thing is that even HE (Mutharika) is not aware that his boys are playing this game. This also means Atupele Muluzi will be completely left out,” added the source.
President Mutharika picked Atupele, UDF president and son to former President Bakili Muluzi, as his running mate in the upcoming fresh presidential elections.
To add credence to the plan, Government yesterday announced changes in its leadership in the National Assembly with Msaka jumping from a mere backbencher to become the Deputy Leader of the House replacing little known Martha Lunji.
Speaker of Parliament Catherine Gotani Hara announced Thursday that government leadership in the House has changed with Nankhumwa maintaining his position as Leader of the House and Msaka as Deputy Leader of the House.
Government Chief Whip remains Symon Vuwa Kaunda who is deputized by Mary Navicha.
A legal guru who refused to be named said if the fresh presidential elections are not held within the 150 days as ordered by the High Court sitting as Constitutional Court, then both President Peter Mutharika and his Vice Saulos Chilima will cease to hold office and ‘cabinet may appoint amongst themselves an acting President and acting Vice President to serve until the fresh presidential elections are held’.
Parliament agreed through a resolution on Tuesday to hold the fresh presidential elections by June 23, 2020 and the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) has already been informed of Parliament resolution with its newly appointed Chairman Justice Dr Chifundo Kachale confirming through a statement on Wednesday that the elections will take place on June 23, 2020.
