President Peter Mutharika will not attend the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Ordinary Summit of Heads of States and Government in Tanzania.
The Malawi leader has sent Vice President Everton Chimulirenji to represent him at the summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from 16th to 20th August.
In a statement today, Chimulirenji’s press officer Charles Wahara said the vice president will leave for Tanzania on Friday at 4:30PM through Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe.
Mutharika is yet to go on a foreign trip months after being re-elected in the disputed May 21 elections.
His main challengers in the elections, Lazarus Chakwera and Saulos Chilima, are challenging the results of the polls in court.
The 39th SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government will be held under the theme; “A Conducive Environment for Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development, Increased Intra-Regional Trade, and Job Creation.”
The SADC Summit is responsible for the overall policy direction and control of functions of the community, ultimately making it the policy-making institution of SADC. It is made up of all SADC Heads of States or Government.
The ordinary SADC Summit was preceded by a series of meeting and events, namely, the meeting of the SADC Standing Committee of Senior Officials; the SADC Finance subcommittee; SADC Council of Ministers Meeting; as well as the Double Troika Senior Officials, and Ministerial Council of the Organ and Double Troika Summit.
