Postponed budget review leaves Parliament ‘blind,’ committee chair warns

The Budget and Finance Committee of Parliament has criticised the decision to postpone the mid-year budget review meeting, warning that without it lawmakers cannot judge whether the budget is achieving its intended results.

Committee chairperson Sosten Gwengwe said the review was needed to establish whether the budget was meeting its objectives and outputs.

“The rest of the budget will therefore be implemented with no proper parliamentary oversight, and there may be irreparable damage at the end of the budget cycle,” he said.

The postponement follows a letter dated October 23, 2026, in which President Peter Mutharika directed Speaker of Parliament Sameer Suleman to postpone the Fourth Meeting of the 52nd Session until the next Budget Meeting.

The letter, as reported, cites Section 59(1) of the Constitution and says the move would redirect resources towards El Niño and fuel-related challenges.

Suleman has since issued a statement formally announcing the postponement but did not specify the reasons.

The legal basis is disputed.

Malawi Law Society honorary secretary Francis Mmame said that while Section 59(1) allows the Speaker to set the start of each meeting in consultation with the President, the President’s own powers under the section are limited.

He said the law allows the President to summon an extraordinary meeting, prorogue Parliament or open a session, but there is no provision that allows him to cancel or move an already scheduled meeting alone.

“It appears to be unconstitutional,” Mmame said, adding that the consultation requirement gives the President a right to be heard, not a veto.

He also said parliamentary committees could continue to oversee public finances.

National Advocacy Platform chairperson Benedicto Kondowe said the difference between postponing a meeting and proroguing Parliament was legally significant, and that the decision had to be judged against constitutional procedure and the Speaker’s role.

He accepted that redirecting resources to pressing challenges could be a legitimate policy choice but said the power must be exercised within prescribed rules.

The government has taken a different line on the substance.

Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Decentralisation spokesperson Williams Banda said the ministry had already prepared the Mid-Year Budget Review Statement and would present it to Parliament “at an appropriate time.”

Presidential press secretary Cathy Maulidi referred questions to the Speaker, saying he was “in the best position to answer this question.”

Economic governance expert Dalitso Kubalasa warned that delay could weaken fiscal credibility by reducing chances to scrutinise revenue shortfalls, spending overruns and borrowing.

“The deeper risk is erosion of credibility,” he said, noting that markets and development partners watch whether a legislature is able to hold the executive to account.

The review was due to examine the 2026/27 national budget, which projects K8.13 trillion in revenue and grants against a deficit of K2.85 trillion.

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