Last Parliament meeting starts March 5
The National Assembly has finally announced that the current cohort of members of Parliament (MPs) will have their last deliberations in the august House for two weeks.
This puts to rest doubts that have been hovering around the meeting due to President Peter Mutharika’s delay to give a nod to Speaker Richard Msowoya to call for the gathering.
The Speaker sought Mutharika’s approval for the House to meet for the 2018/19 Mid-Year Budget Review from mid-February to mid-March before Parliament dissolves on March 20.
State House spokesperson Mgeme Kalirani said Mutharika had written the Speaker to decide on the dates when the parliamentarians should reconvene.
In a statement issued yesterday, Msowoya said the MPs would meet for the 47th Session of Parliament from March 5 to 18.
Reads the statement: “All Cabinet ministers, deputy Cabinet ministers and honourable members of Parliament are summoned to attend the meeting at the time and place indicated until adjournment sine die and herein fail not.”
Over the years, Parliament has been meeting in February for the mid-term budget review where Parliamentarians take stock of how various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) have utilised their funding during the previous six months.
During the meeting, Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development also makes upward or down adjustments to budget allocations to MDAs.
The House will be meeting without Leader of Opposition following the resignation of Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president Lazarus Chakwera as a requirement of the law before presenting presidential nomination papers.
