Malawi Elects Female Speaker Of Parliament

Female Member of Parliament for Mzimba North East constituency Catherine Gotani Hara has been elected new speaker of Malawi parliament.

Hara of Malawi Congress Party MCP has defeated Esther Mcheka Chilenje of Democratic Progressive Party DPP with 97 to 93 votes.

Presenting the results clerk of parliament Fiona Kalemba who presided over the election of the speaker said “there were two absentees but no null and void votes.”

190 MPs voted in a secret ballot which took place at Parliament building in Lilongwe.

Just after Kalemba announced results of the election MCP legislators burst into jubilation singing “No Tippex” apparently referring to May 21 Tripartite elections whose result sheets were reportedly tampered with, using tippex.

Kalemba congratulated Hara for being elected speaker of Malawi parliament.

Hara was the Minister of Health, Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs and deputy Minister of Transport and deputy Minister of Gender while Chilenje had been holding the position of deputy speaker of parliament.

Hara holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (Chancelor College), Postgraduate Degree International Development and Project Planning and Management, University of Brighton (UK) and was Program Officer, Department for International Development (DfID)

The new speaker of Malawi parliament was sworn in by chief justice Andrew Nyirenda.

Independent MP Madalitso Kazombo was elected deputy speaker while Aisha Mambo Adams second deputy speaker.