Parliament says Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Vice President for the South Kondwani Nankhumwa will remain Leader of Opposition.
Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Madalitso Kazombo has made the ruling today in Parliament.
Kazombo has since sent back the letter from DPP in which the party removed Nankhumwa as Leader of Opposition and replaced him with Nsanje Central Parliamentarian Francis Kasaila.
The DPP fired Nankhumwa on Monday and wrote to Parliament that Kasaila is the new Leader of Opposition.
After Kazombo announced the change today, Mulanje West Member of Parliament Yusuf Nthenda said Members of Parliament from opposition side are the ones that have the mandate to elect the Leader of Opposition not the party’s President.
He added that it is not in order and it is not accordance with the standing orders that a leader of a party who is not a member of Parliament to choose a leader of opposition.
According to Nthenda, members of DPP have not conducted any elections on the position of leader of opposition and therefore they cannot allow Francis Kasaila to be the Leader of Opposition.
Kazombo resolved that the MPs from the opposition should elect the leader of Opposition but for now Kondwani Nankhumwa will remain Leader of Opposition.
