Joyce Banda to be sworn in as new Malawi President !

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Malawi's Vice-President Joyce Banda is to be sworn in shortly as president following the death of Bingu wa Mutharika, officials say.

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She is to become southern Africa's first female head of state after taking the oath in parliament.

Mr Mutharika, 78, went into cardiac arrest on Thursday and sources said on Friday that he had died, although his death was not confirmed until Saturday.

The delay in announcing his death had prompted fears of a power struggle.

There had been speculation that the late president's inner circle was trying to circumvent Malawi's constitution to prevent Ms Banda from taking over and instead install his brother, Foreign Minister Peter Mutharika.

Continue reading the main storyWho is Joyce Banda?


  • 1950: Born
  • 2009: Elected vice-president
  • 2011: Fell out with President Bingu wa Mutharika but he failed to have her removed from her post
  • 2012: To be sworn in as president after Mr Mutharika's death
  • Set to be southern Africa's first female head of state
  • Has large charity to help educate and empower women
  • Her father was a well-known musician; her sister was hired to work in pop star Madonna's school

However, the information ministry's director of information Isaac Ziba said: "This afternoon the information that I have from my seniors is the right honourable Joyce Banda, the vice-president of the republic, is going to be sworn in as president and head of state of the Malawi nation."
Ms Banda had fallen out with Mr Mutharika in 2010 and became one of his fiercest critics. She was expelled from the ruling Democratic People's Party (DPP) and formed the People's Party.

She was elected as vice-president in 2009 and Mr Mutharika had failed in his attempts to have her removed from her post.
At present, there are just a handful of MPs in her party but the BBC's Raphael Tenthani in Blantyre says many more are likely to join after she becomes president.

On Friday, Information Minister Patricia Kaliati had said Ms Banda could not take over as head of state because she had gone into opposition.
The UK, the US and the EU have called on Malawi to respect the constitution.

Appeal for calmSince the government officially confirmed Mr Mutharika's death on Saturday morning, Ms Banda has insisted the constitution would be followed in the matter of succession.

"What is going on is that the constitution says when there is a vacancy in the office of the president, the vice-president shall assume office and finish the term," she told the BBC on Saturday.

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There have been growing protests against Mr Mutharika over the last year

"When that happens, the vice-president assumes office. We are now, today, going through the process."
She said she had met the heads of the army and police, the attorney general and other officials before giving a news conference on the situation.
Those officials were behind her as she spoke, saying a cabinet meeting would be held soon to discuss funeral arrangements.

She also said preparations were being made to bring Mr Mutharika's body back from South Africa, where he was taken after his cardiac arrest.
"In the meantime, I call upon all Malawians to remain calm and to keep the peace during this time of bereavement."

She said that 10 days of national mourning would be held.

Mr Mutharika governed Malawi for eight years, but was recently accused of mismanaging the economy and becoming increasingly autocratic.
He fell out last year with former colonial ruler Britain, which withdrew its direct aid, accusing the Malawian government of mishandling the economy and of failing to uphold human rights.

Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, with an estimated 75% of the population living on less than $1 (60p) a day.
The country has suffered shortages of fuel and foreign currency since the UK and other donors cancelled aid.
 
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Stephane De Sakutin/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Joyce Banda arrives at her inauguration as Malawi's new president, becoming the country's first female leader.

[h=6]By LYDIA POLGREEN[/h] [h=6]Published: April 7, 2012[/h]




JOHANNESBURG — Malawi’s vice president, Joyce Banda, was sworn in as president on Saturday, ending a tense 36 hours of speculation and confusion about the future of one of central Africa’s most enduring democracies after the death of President Bingu wa Mutharika on Thursday.


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[h=6]Johannes Eisele/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images[/h] President Bingu wa Mutharika of Malawi in September 2010.


Mrs. Banda’s supporters cheered as she took the oath in the capital, Lilongwe. She called for calm and unity.
“I just sincerely hope that there is no room for revenge,” she said. “I just sincerely hope that we shall stand united.”
The government of Malawi confirmed on Saturday that Mr. Mutharika had died, but the delay raised concerns that democratic succession would be interrupted.
Earlier, Mrs. Banda declared 10 days of mourning, and ambassadors, the army chief, government officials and other prominent figures have been streaming to her home in Lilongwe.
She was once an ally of Mr. Mutharika, but the two fell out over efforts to groom the president’s brother, Peter, as a successor. Mrs. Banda then formed her own political party. On Friday, the information minister, Patricia Kaliati, hinted that the president’s party, the Democratic Progressive Party, did not see Mrs. Banda as a legitimate successor because she had been expelled from the governing party.
But with the military, the judiciary and an increasing number of cabinet members backing Mrs. Banda, any effort to replace her would face long odds of success, analysts said.
Mr. Mutharika, 78, had a heart attack on Thursday, but the government refused to confirm his death until Saturday. A former World Bank economist, Mr. Mutharika had been popular for his stewardship of Malawi’s economy, presiding over a period of extraordinary growth and increased farm yields thanks to popular fertilizer subsidies. He was first elected in 2004 and then returned to power in 2009.
But his popularity has waned as tobacco prices have slumped and the country has faced a shortage of foreign currency. In the face of public criticism, he became increasingly autocratic. So there were few tears for him on the streets of the capital.
Peter Jegwa Kumwenda contributed reporting from Lilongwe, Malawi.



[h=6]A version of this article appeared in print on April 8, 2012, on page A12 of the New York edition with the headline: In Mourning, Malawi Gets New Leader.[/h]
 
7 Aprili 2012 19:10
Makamu wa rais wa Malawi Joyce Banda ameapishwa kuwa rais
wa nchi hiyo kufuatia kifo cha Bingu wa Mutharika.
Banda anakuwa rais wa kwanza wa kike kusini mwa Jangwa la
Sahara, na aliapishwa mbele ya bunge katika mji mkuu wa
Malawi, Lilongwe.
Bi Banda, ambaye alikuwa makamu wa rais tangu mwaka 2009,
alishangiliwa na kupigiwa kofi kabla na baada ya shughuli hiyo.
Bw Mutharika, 78, alipatwa na mshtuko wa moyo siku ya
Alhamis, ingawa kifo chake hakikuthibitishwa hadi Jumamosi.
Kuchelewa kutangazwa kifo chake kulisababisha wasiwasi
kuhusu nani anaongoza nchi hiyo.
Kulikuwa na tetesi kuwa watu wa karibu wa rais Mutharika
walikuwa wakitaka kubadili katiba ya nchi ili kuzuia Bi Banda
kuchukua madaraka, na badala yake kumpa ndugu yake, Peter
Mutharika ambaye ni waziri wa mambo ya nje.
Bi Banda alifarakana na rais Mutharika mwaka 2010 na kuwa
mkosoaji mkubwa wa rais. Alifukuzwa kutoka chama cha DPP
na kuunda chama chake cha Peoples Party.
Alamisha hii
 
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