Malawi lawyers urge president to let parliament sit

Malawi's legal community urged President Bingu wa Mutharika on Wednesday to reconvene parliament, describing his decision to run the government in its absence as unconstitutional and undemocratic.

Earlier this month, wa Mutharika stopped parliamentarians in the southern African country from meeting until they agreed not to expel 70 members of his Democratic Progressive Party, which is largely made up of defectors from the opposition.

He said he would carry on with the business of government despite fears that the political stalemate could threaten implementation of international donor programmes, key to the economy in the landlocked country of over 13 million.

"We wish to point out that parliament is an important part of our democracy, which is based on the Constitution," the Malawi Law Society said in a statement. "To run government without it is a most undemocratic, unconstitutional conduct of government business."

It asked that wa Mutharika reverse his decision.

The Malawian leader is under fire from the United Democratic Front and another opposition party, which want to expel most of the government's MPs under a constitutional provision that prevents deputies leaving one party to join another.

If successful, they would have enough support to pass a no-confidence vote in wa Mutharika's government and an impeachment motion against the Malawian leader, who quit the United Democratic Front to form his own party after the 2004 election.

Malawi's 193-member parliament was to consider a number of World Bank and International Monetary Fund programmes. The impoverished nation relies heavily on donor support for its public spending.

The next sitting is scheduled for June.

The parliamentarians refused last year to debate the government's $1.2 billion budget for fiscal 2007/08 until the dispute over the MPs was resolved. Pressure from civic groups and farmers prompted a change of heart, and it was passed.

Last month the International Monetary Fund said the political uncertainty could affect implementation of its programme in Malawi.