…My contract runs until 2019, says Chilima
Malawi Vice President Saulos Chilima has rubbished calls by activists for his resignation, saying he is Constitutionally contracted to occupy the Vice Presidency until 2019.
Chilima, who is also president of the United Transformation Movement (UTM), branded calls for him to resign as having no Constitutional backing.
“I have a contract which runs up to May 2019. The office has not been vacated. I am still in that office and therefore I’m available to provide counsel to respond to inquiries by citizens and respond to inquiries by different organizations as they come. So that is meetings and also there is guidance and administration provided in that office” said Chilima in an interview with BBC HARDtalk’s Zeinab Badawi.
Chilima dumped the ruling Democratic Progressive Party in June this year and formed the UTM which he plans to represent to oust the incumbent, President Peter Mutharika.
The vice president told HARDtalk he neither attends cabinet meetings or talks with President Peter Mutharika, saying the last time the two communicated was in June before UTM’s official launch.
Nonetheless, he conceded to drawing his salary for doing “absolutely nothing” when he was asked he was discharging his duties as vice president.
“The vice president’s office is a delegated office constitutionally. So as I seat here and when I get back home I used to go to the office, and report for duties and because there is office of the vice president that needs to be run by a team of supporting technocrats and headed by an individual, I am still in that office.” he said.
Activists have been calling for Chilima to resign as the country’s vice president, saying he was being paid for doing nothing.
