Malawi President Calls for Separation of Powers to Promote Development
Malawi President Chakwera calls for separation of powers to boost development, writes Winston Mwale.
LILONGWE, Malawi— Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera on Monday called for the separation of powers to be used as a catalyst for development in the country, writes Winston Mwale.
Chakwera spoke at the opening of the first-ever National Conference on Separation of Powers in Lilongwe.
The conference is being attended by representatives from the government, the judiciary, and the legislature.
“The first ever National Conference on Separation of Powers underway in Lilongwe gives us a rare opportunity to re-examine the core doctrine that keeps our democracy thriving across various regimes and generations,” Chakwera said.
“This timely dialogue is a true reflection that what used to be a relatively young democracy is fast transitioning into a mature model of the constitutional order that will support our national development as outlined in the Malawi Vision 2063 agenda.”
The theme of the conference is “Separation of Powers, A Development Catalyst or Hindrance?”
Chakwera said that the separation of powers must be used to ensure that the three principal arms of government — the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary — are able to check and balance each other.
“The theme must obligate us to keep the three principal arms of government under constant checks and balances to fully optimise the smooth attainment of our development aspirations,” he said.
Chakwera said that he remains committed to the rule of law, which he said is one of the five tenets of his High5 Agenda, a development plan that he launched when he took office in 2020.