Malawi: Bid to Block Vice-Presidents From Automatic Rise to Malawi Presidency

What the report says

A Lilongwe resident has submitted a draft constitutional amendment to Malawi’s Parliament that would significantly reshape the vice-presidency, according to Nyasa Times as carried by AllAfrica. The proposal, addressed to National Assembly Speaker Sameer Suleiman, is attributed to concerned citizen Boldwin Bickiel Dzuwalatsoka and argues that the current system has repeatedly fueled tensions between presidents and their deputies.

The draft would end the practice of electing a vice-president on a joint ticket with the president and instead make the post appointive. It also says the vice-president would serve at the president’s pleasure and could be removed without impeachment proceedings. The proposal describes the office as ceremonial and limits executive powers to responsibilities delegated by the president.

The most consequential change concerns succession. Under Malawi’s present arrangement, the first vice-president automatically takes over if the president dies or becomes permanently incapacitated. The draft would scrap that rule and place the Speaker of Parliament in an interim presidency within 24 hours of a vacancy. The Speaker would then organize a fresh election within 90 days after the burial of a deceased president.

Dzuwalatsoka says the reforms would reduce political rivalry and constitutional disputes, citing several former vice-presidents as examples of recurring instability. The proposal has not yet been tabled in Parliament and would still require formal constitutional review and strong legislative support before any change could take effect.