Chakwera says Chilima will be Malawi deputy president not VP: ‘Proper second-in command’

Tonse Alliance presidential torchbearer Lazarus Chakwera has said if he ascends to power in the fresh elections, he will make his running mate Saulos Chilima as deputy president and not vice president to ensure that   the country for the first time should have an empowered second-in-command.

Chilima(L) is running mate to MCP presidential hopeful Lazarus Chakwera

Chakwera, who is also Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president  leading the nine-party Tonse Alliance, said this on Friday, during a whistle-stop campaign tour in Lilongwe rural hinterland, the stronghold of MCP.

He said the Office of the Vice-President in the country is a delegated one, an arrangement that has seen Vice-Presidents, including Chilima, sidelined or victimised by the political system.

But Chakwera said that Chilima will be “deputy president, a proper second-in-command that when the President leaves the country he automatically is acting president.”

The empowerment arrangement of Chakwera-Chilima pact also entails that  Chilima —who is also UTM Party president— will also serve as minister of Finance and responsible for public sector reforms.

Chakwera said Chilima is someone Malawi needs to improve public service delivery.

“He is someone we need to head the public sector reforms to develop Malawi.”

Chakwera reiterated their alliance’s promises to the electorate, including fighting corruption, revamping the public sector, job creation, economic empowerment of the youth and women and transforming agriculture, among others.

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Ndendeuli
Ndendeuli
3 years ago

Wayamba kale kufuna kupanga za illegal tisanakusankhe. There is no such thing as deputy president in our constitution.

Joseph Banda
Joseph Banda
3 years ago

TELL US THE DIFFERENCE mr. chakwela. And mr. chilima mutu gaa ali ndidzakhala deputy president. Poti judiciary mwaigula and will change the constitution with no problems. Whether Deputy or Vice, chilima nd wapakaliyala basi. You will see what MCP is madder up with. Ask Kaliwo, Mia, Msowoya etl.

Thomas nkhontha
Thomas nkhontha
3 years ago

Well chilima is the first running mate who is very competent to even run the country. So it good he will not be a puppy VP but he will run duties of the president as allocated to him by president. All DPP supporters voted for chilima in 2014 for his good qualities and now all the opposition will vote for his for his qualities. He is wanted by both sides.he is wanted by malawi.chakwera is the leader who would have taken Malawi very far he doesnt feel the need to make a cabinet of crooks and potential business people from… Read more »

BigMan
BigMan
3 years ago

Can you imagine someone still believing that DPP will win the rerun? Madness or what?! Ufiti kapena?

Bibi
Bibi
3 years ago
Reply to  BigMan

It is not believing. Look at TONSE alliance desperate speeches, how rattled Chilima and Chakwera are. Look at their whistle-stops and rallies. Now compare that with DPP-UDF. Atupele has more appeal than all those TONSE alliance (9 political parties). People have realised how Chakwera and Chilima have destroyed this country for 12 months just because they want power.

Zio ine
Zio ine
3 years ago

Taste the power first and see if you will say that nosense. Give Chilima a yard he will take 10 and by the time you wake up MCP will be dead and buried. Chilima is a schemer and that is what he did to rise to the top.

Nani
Nani
3 years ago

TONSE alliance is losing support because of all this kugawana maudindo. It shows people who are power hungry and care about yourselves.

Pepe
Pepe
3 years ago

The fact that this will need a constitutional amendment is the reason why people should NOT vote for TONSE alliance. Why change the constitution to accommodate the ambitions of one person. FOTSEKI.

Supreme Court
Supreme Court
3 years ago
Reply to  Pepe

@Pepe
Nothing wrong with Constitutional amendments if it a betterment for all future Malawians after 200 years the USA has done many to improve the lives of their citizens including giving women the right to vote and abolishing slavery.

Thomas nkhontha
Thomas nkhontha
3 years ago
Reply to  Pepe

You did not listen to what chakwera said obviously I do not listen to atupele or peter as well.chakwera said chilima will be his deputy not just a vice on standby as wasteful and useless as an obedient VP who sits there like a little dog and cznt move till he is told to move and isnt allowed to think. Chakwera doesnt want the ideal of having a VP position just filled by a person who is chosen based on his lack of capability to be a president or aspiration to be president. Chilima will share duties of the president… Read more »

Chachacha
Chachacha
3 years ago
Reply to  Pepe

Hahahahah not to accomodate one person. Since the birth of multi party name a VP who was value for our money? Malewezi, Chilumpha, Joyce Banda, Chilima. None was ever fully utilised. During Muluzi’s time Chihana the 2nd VP was even more powerful than the elected VP, Malewezi. It is high time the constitution was changed. It is value for our tax

SB Chinji
SB Chinji
3 years ago

Kikikikikiki Dr. Chakwera, when you talk too much you end up not even understanding yourself. The good doctor has confused himself here. Anyway, it’s Elizabeth’s language, I can’t blame him. Vice and Deputy have the same and Vice may even be more important than Deputy. A vice is second in command while the deputy is acting for another person, not necessarily second in command. A deputy is deputizing for another person while vice is second in command with defined duties. Vices are limited to not more than 2 for any particular position while deputies can be anything and more than… Read more »

Banda
Banda
3 years ago
Reply to  SB Chinji

@SB Chinji
We all know you are a smart guy. Some countries use Vice others use Deputy Chakwera wishes to empower the position of Vice President in Cabinet and Government NOT under utilizing VP by just sending the VP to a insignificant portfolio of Minister of Disaster or pushing them out of Government which DPP is known for. A NEW ERA of Government a leaders are forced to work TOGETHER as a TEAM for the benifit of Malawians that’s progress.

SB Chinji
SB Chinji
3 years ago
Reply to  Banda

I hear you Banda but there is no need for smartness in understanding the two simple words. Firstly, let’s look at how Dr. Chakwera phrased them: “Chilima will be deputy president, a proper second-in-command that when the president leaves the country, he automatically is acting president”. Trust me, this is the status quo. Now, let’s look at your point: “Some countries use Vice, others use Deputy”. The Vice president of Malawi or say the USA is not empowered by an individual like Chakwera or Trump, he is constitutionally empowered. The presidents of these two countries have no constitutional mandate to… Read more »

TRUTH
TRUTH
3 years ago

Maloto a chumba

Shonai
3 years ago

Akwatiwa a Chakwera.

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