President Lazarus Chakwera and Vice President Saulos Chilima met at Malawi Independence Day prayers today amid a rift in the ruling Tonse Alliance.
The two leaders were at Bingu International Conference Centre in Lilongwe where they attended a National Service of Worship as Malawi celebrates 58 years of independence.
The event came days after Chakwera withheld delegated duties from Chilima over corruption allegations. Chilima in response, demanded a change in laws to remove presidential immunity and claimed that Chakwera agreed to rule for one term and let Chilima contest in 2025 presidential elections.
Events of the past weeks suggest that there is a rift between the president and his deputy but Chakwera in his speech claimed that the two are at peace.
“When they ask why it is that we have leaders of various political parties peacefully co-existing, or why the sitting president has made peace with those who suffered injustices under the one party state, or why the president lives at peace with his Vice President, tell them it’s because A New Malawi is Rising,” Chakwera said.
During the prayers, President Chakwera and Chilima donated K1 million and K0.5million respectively towards Malingunde School of the blind charity services to uplift the school’s executions.
Chilima was last month named in an Anti-Corruption Bureau report as one of the public officers who are being investigated on allegations that they received bribes from businessperson Zuneth Sattar.
Chilima’s claims that his UTM and Chakwera Malawi Congress Party (MCP) had an agreement to share presidential terms were rejected by the MCP which insisted that the Malawi Constitution allows Chakwera to contest again.
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