Malawi finance minister defies parliament

Malawi's finance minister vowed on Wednesday that he would go ahead with public spending without parliament's approval, in a deepening political standoff between the president and the opposition-controlled assembly.

The United Democratic Front and the Malawi Congress Party refuse to debate the government's $1.2 billion budget until a dispute over the poaching of its members by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was resolved.

The debate on the 2007/2008 budget was indefinitely suspended but Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe said the row should not deprive Malawians of essential services in the impoverished southern African country.

"The hospitals, the schools, the security services, the fertilizer subsidy programme will continue without disruptions and government asks all public servants to report to work as usual," Gondwe told Reuters in an interview.

The boycott forced the speaker of Malawi's National Assembly to suspend the session and prompted a sharp rebuke from the government of President Bingu wa Mutharika, who bolted from the UDF and formed the DPP after winning the 2004 election.

The government is currently being funded through a monthly skeleton budget.

HISTORY OF POLITICAL UPHEAVAL

"In the meantime parliament will continue to make every effort to make sure that parliament meets and agrees to pass the budget," Gondwe said.

He has warned that the budget stalemate could delay the roll-out of a fertiliser subsidy crucial to boosting food production and avoiding frequent shortages.

The defections have boosted the DPP's presence in parliament to 75 out of 193 seats.

Malawi's Supreme Court has given powers to the parliament speaker to expel lawmakers who defected. But a court injunction prohibited the parliament speaker from taking action against those who had crossed the floor.

More than three dozen lawmakers have crossed over to the DPP. Some are now cabinet ministers and may be forced to resign if the opposition wins its battle to strip them of their seats.

The impoverished country has faced political upheaval since wa Mutharika fell out with his UDF colleagues after targeting officials in an anti-corruption campaign.

One of the country's leading constitutional lawyers, Fahad Assani, warned of dire consequences if the finance minister carried on spending without a green light from parliament, saying the move would be illegal.

"The constitution clearly stops anyone from withdrawing public funds from the consolidated account at the central bank without authority from the National Assembly," he told Reuters.

On Tuesday, more than a thousand members of a group calling itself Concerned Citizens demonstrated against opposition lawmakers and said more protests were planned for next week.

Wa Mutharika's establishment of the DPP in 2005 and successful attempts to lure UDF and MCP members prompted calls for his impeachment from the opposition, which has accused him of disenfranchising Malawians who voted for the UDF and MCP.

Should its members lose their seats, wa Mutharika's party could be left with as few as five MPs in parliament.