In a thunderclap moment marking the end of an era, Malawi’s Parliament adjourns sine die today—bringing to a close the final sitting of the current legislative term. Speaker of Parliament, the Right Honourable Catherine Gotani Hara, confirmed that the entire House will officially be dissolved on 23rd July 2024. When that date arrives, there will be no more MPs—only hopefuls battling for their political lives in what promises to be a no-holds-barred election season.
As the curtain falls, the stage is now set for a high-octane contest: sitting MPs scrambling to reclaim their seats, and ambitious newcomers itching to break into the sacred halls of power. But Leader of the House Richard Chimwendo Banda delivered a chilling piece of political wisdom—served with fire and wrapped in caution. He warned incumbents that if they abandoned their constituents during their term, they shouldn’t expect mercy at the ballot box.
“Those who forgot their constituents will also be forgotten at the ballot box. And some, in their shame, have fallen into despair,” he said—pointing to a tragic past where one late MP took his own life after a crushing electoral defeat of his party in 2014.
With political destinies now hanging in the balance, Chimwendo’s message was loud and clear: if you served the people, fine, if you didn’t, then don’t overspend during campaiagn for you will be swept away by the tide of democratic reckoning. The battle for Parliament has officially begun.
