…appoint next Veep by Wednesday
The death of a serving Vice President and the eight other officials under the circumstances so far disclosed triggers a legal obligation upon all authorities from across the political parties or groupings and State officials to pursue the truth and offer to the public a clear, timely and trustworthy sense of direction with objective and dependable answers to the many questions arising, the Malawi Law Society has said.
The legal body said in a statement on Thursday the 10th June 2024 tragedy affects the core governance structure and it was imperative that all members of the public to seek such or provide answers when called upon in accordance with the rule of law.
“Part VII of the Civil Aviation Act in section 48-49 and Division 22 of the Defence Act provides a detailed guideline to facilitate and guide air accident and incident investigation which we recommend must promptly be resorted to by all stakeholders in order to timely and legally address the legitimate questions arising from this plane crash,” the statement reads.
The Society adds that section 12 of the Constitution binds all holders of legal and political authority to do so at all times with the view to protecting the public interests in a transparent and accountable manner in order to sustain the collective trust of the people of Malawi and to ensure and promote mutual respect and tolerance, collective security, morality and common interest.
“The constitutional obligation applies to all holders of legal and political authority across the political divide and governance,” said the Law Society.
On Chilimas replacement the Law Society said the general public should note that under section 84 and 88 of the Constitution as read with section 45 of the General Interpretation Act, President Lazarus Chakwera is required to appoint a replacement Vice President within 7 days after the death of the Vice President and in computing the 7 day period from the date of death to exclude any Sunday or Public Holiday.
“As such, it is expected that by and not later than 19th June 2024, President Lazarus Chakwera should have appointed a person to replace the late Dr Saulos Klaus Chilima in the constitutional office of a Vice President,” added the Law Society.
Already some senior MCP gurus are seen as positioning themselves for the slot, while the UTM officials have chased their vice president Micheal Usi saying he had detached himself from the party and was now MCP.
It is widely expected that UTM will provide the next Vice President, but with President Chakwera that could not be the case.
