President Peter Mutharika has warned people against committing treason, saying he was voted by people and sworn as president hence will remain president until a successor comes in.
The Malawi leader made the remarks in a recorded State of the Nation Address (SONA) played in Parliament on
He reminded people that he was voted as President through the same process that voted for every Member of Parliament and ward councilors.
He also noted that he was sworn in as President of this country.
He then quoted Section 83 of the Constitution of Malawi which says: “The President shall hold office for five years from the date that his or her oath of office was administered, but shall continue in office until his or her successor has been sworn in.”
According to Mutharika, the section prescribes the foundational constitutional order of this country.
“Those of you who are plotting otherwise will be undermining the constitutional order and therefore committing treason,” he said.
Mutharika was elected as president in 2014. He was also declared winner in the 2019 elections but the High Court nullified the elections and ordered fresh elections in 150 days from February 3, 2020.
The Supreme Court agreed, saying the 2019 polls were littered with serious and troubling irregularities.
In his address, however, Mutharika said the Court failed to show or prove that irregularities affected the result of the election.
He also warned against going to an election “too soon” due to the coronavirus pandemic.
