Chilima talks to Voice of America: Hints at how President, VP relationship can improve
Malawian vice-president Saulos Chilima has told the Voice of America (VOA) that the relationship of the future president and vice president could improve only after an amendment to the Republican Constitution to make the office of the veep not a delegated job.
Chilima said this on his final “private engagement” tour of the US.
The UTM party torchbearer in the May 21 elections said once elected into power, he would push for such an amendment so that the office of the vice president has its own Constitutional job instead of relying on the Head of State to give him a job.
“It is very difficult to have an office bearer whose mandate awaits the president yet the president and the vice president are elected on the same ticket and the vice president contributes a lot to the votes for them to win,” said Chilima.
There has been strenuous relationship between president Peter Mutharika and Chilima forcing the vice president to resign from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the party that sponsored him into power.
He is now leading UTM which has already gained political ground in the country although it is less than one-year-old.
“After the election, someone behaves as if he is more important than the other. We don’t want a president who starts abusing the office of the vice president especially when the vice president contributed a lot of votes during an election,” said the veep.
Alternatively, he said, the vice president should not be a running mate during an election, so that the president can appoint one once voted into power.
The Mutharika administration has been harassing Chilima by trimming his security detail and convoy but the courts have ruled in favour of Chilima.
The DPP led government also tried to block the registration of the UTM by giving flimsy excuses but the courts ruled in favour of registration of the party.
First it was your interview on BBC (hard talk). This time again with VOA, complaining about Malawi constitution. I will not mention that you embarrassed us big time on BBC. I see that you are missing the point because non of those platforms can change the rules and laws governing Malawi. It’s only Malawi parliament which has that mandate. I can see desperation on your side for the choice you made. APM never fired you, but your crave and evil for power drove you into the mess you are in now. Your problem now is to fix your mess but… Read more »
If truth be told, Chilima accepted to be runningmate to APM in bad faith. This dude was so convinced APM would not make it through 5 years and he would then assume the presidency . If anything mwinanso mungapite nsanga ndi amatendanu
And whoever APM’s choice for runningmate this time is, please accept to be so in good faith . If they also accept like Chilima, they will be shocked that he will live through another five years .
Nay that is a personal oinion NOT the truth. What sign of of bad or poor health Mutharika had that could have made him think that way. Thats a blue lie.
When did Chilima come to realise all this? Our systems has always been there since Muluzi time. So why realising all the negatives now! I do not take Chilima seriously. Of course nothing wrong to point out the faults, bit are you sure you could not learn from Malewrzi, Chilumpha and Joyce Banda. Come on!!! You are such a baby who cries after testing the fire…. shame!!!!
Iwe zisiye mmene ziliri. Uyambe iweyo kulemekeza Vice wako tione. Mesa ukuti iwe ndiye katswiri wa ma reforms. We have confidence in you that when you are elected president of Malawi, your vice will enjoy to the fullest. Ukufuna zisinthe kuti usazavutike kumuchotsa Vice wako? Ayi tipitiliza mmene zililimu basi usatinamize.
54 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE HAS NOT HELPED MALAWI ARCHIVE ITS GOALS !!
MR CHILIMA PITILIZANI TILIPAMBUYOPANU BWANA ZIWANU KUTI WINA AKAMALUMA NDIYE KUTI WALUDZA NDEWU TIPITILIZABE KUSAPOTA UTM ILIBE BILIYONYATSA TIONE ZASOPANO ZIWAWAZO TIKUONA TIKUVA ZIWANIKUTI TSIKU LIKUBWELA CHALA CHILAKHULA 2019 TIMAIYEMBEKEZELA YAFIKA TALILA MOKWANA MNYAMATA WADZERU ATI WOMBOLE KUKHAZAZI .KONDI KOVOTAKO MUKATIMENYASO TIONESANA MAKAIFE APATCHITO TALILA NDIMISOKHO IFEMASO PASONGOLO ZAKALE IFE AYI TIKUFUNA ZASOPANO MULUZI ANATI ZITHANGATI NGATI MAKATANI PALIMBE AMENE AMAFUNA NKUTE SIMA YONGONA IFEAYI TIONE (UTM)
WINAWE AKUTUMA KUTI OZISOKONEZA AZAKO INE MWABWANA TIKUMWELA LIMOZI KOMA IWE MPOPA NGOLO UNGOVUTIKA NDIKA K10 KUPENGANAKO UCHISILU OFELA ZAENI UKAPITILIZA KUZUZA AMALAWI UZASUPULA MTEMBO WAENI UZIWEKUTI YEMWE AKUFUNIKA KWEIFE NDI (MCP) UTM) BASI AWILIWA DPP YATOPESA IKAPUME NDIPO ZITHEKA TILI CHELU KUYEMBEKEZELA TSIKULO TIONETSE KHAWA ZATHU OSAMANGO KAKAMILA CHIMODZI KAKAKA MALAWI ANACHANGAMUKA MASO PASONGOLA PANOPA CHILMA KAPENA CHAKWERA (UTM FUNDOZAKE NDIZASOPANO PAKUFUNIKA TIZIONE AKAZANAMASO TIZACHOSA akachita beno 5 inaso kupasa koma dpp asanganame taona kuti aomjeza boza
In Malawi we don’t elect vice president, we only elect president. Vice president is elected by the party president as a running mate. If you want reform so that office of the vice president should not be delegated then amend constitution so that vice president should also be elected during election, that is all vice presidents should have their own ballot papers and not on the same ballot paper with the party president. Then you will be called vice president elect. By the way maulendo akunjatu achuluka akukupangani sponsors ndindani? Mukuyenda kupotsa president nanga mukazasankhidwa kukhala president maulendo amenewa simuzamakhala… Read more »
Bodzatu ili, we elect the president and his running mate concurrently that is why they appear together pa ballot paper and this is the reason that we constitutionally entrust the vice president to take over in the event of death of the president or indeed incapacitation since we mandated them to lead by voting for them both. Osamawanamiza anthu, facts only please!!! Zikakhala za ma ulendo zanuzo ndi ma sponsors kazikangananani koma osamatenga wina aliyense ngati osazindikila ayi
Malawi Constitution Section 80 Sub-Section 4 werengani osamangolota kapena kuvomera kunamizidwa ayi
vice president elect???? Ndadabwa
Nanu inu,school yake yakuti? we elect president and his vice concurrently,,ufuna uzinamiza ndani? Mbuzi ya munthu!!
hahahahah olo mbalame zitha kukumenya ndi bodza lakoli dude
Kodi a Chilima, mavote ambili amene mukunenawa munawapeza bwanji? Munalibe chipani, you were not even mp koma dpp was already in existence for over 5 years. Sometimes you should stop dreaming
WAIT FOR THE 2019 ELECTIONS RESULTS. FIND OUT IF NTCHEU WILL GIVE PETER THEN SAME NUMBER OF VOTES!
Dikilani Baba pa 21 May, 2019,,,mudzakhala mukulota inuyo!!!
Chilima ndiwe tambwali mesa unkatsogolela ma reforms bwanji sunalakhulepo. Ndiwe wolephera!!!!
Ndiye mumumenya nayenso?
@BigMan Palibe zokupulana apa. Bwa a UTM mumangoganiza zomenyedwa? Bwa?
Actually you have a solution when there is a problem…..had it been it went well between Chilima and APM, chilima sakanapanga suggest zimenezi, he suggested reforms chifukwa he is the ratest victim given no relationship btwn vice and president in the past neva ended well, that means something is wrong hence suggesting the constitutional reforms kuti mwina the vice and the president could finally go along………….palibe zoti ndiwe wolephera apa…..it is a problem that has emerged through experience now and needs to be addressed. Simple.