Malawi court finds legislators' local voting and development fund powers violate constitution

Attorney General Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda has announced plans to appeal a Constitutional Court ruling that stripped Members of Parliament (MPs) of their controversial grip on Constituency Development Fund (CDF) projects, a role the court deemed unconstitutional and self-serving. The ruling, delivered by a panel of Justices Howard Pemba, Eddah Ngwira, and Mzonde Mvula, declared that allowing MPs to select, implement, and monitor local development projects fundamentally undermines their constitutional duty to provide oversight. The court further ruled that giving MPs voting rights in local councils violates the separation of powers and distorts governance at the grassroots level. [ . . . ] If the Supreme Court sides with the Constitutional Court, MPs will be formally removed from the management of CDF and Water Resource Fund activities, restoring those roles to non-partisan administrative structures.
Read the full article here: Malawi24