By The Forum

The Malawi National Assembly has adjourned sine die, wrapping up a five-week meeting that covered the 2025–2026 Mid-Year Budget Review and opened the 52nd Session of Parliament.

Speaker Sameer Suleman on Friday praised MPs for their contributions but urged them to remain focused on issues that reflect the priorities of Malawians. He also issued a stern warning on absenteeism, saying too many MPs had been missing sittings without permission.

“Your contribution must always serve the greater good of our nation and strengthen our democratic institutions,” he said. “But my office has recorded a lot of absenteeism. Such conduct undermines the seriousness of our work.”

The Speaker said attendance is mandatory under parliamentary summons and warned that persistent non-compliance will lead to deductions in allowances and other disciplinary actions. He also reminded both government and opposition benches to follow established procedures when introducing bills to ensure transparency and effective scrutiny.

Leader of the House Jappie Mhango said the meeting set a solid foundation for the new Parliament elected on 16 September 2025. He assured members that the Democratic Progressive Party–led administration is committed to fulfilling its campaign promises, saying President Peter Mutharika is working to rebuild the economy.

“Politics is now gone. We are here to serve Malawians,” Mhango said as he moved the motion to adjourn.

But Leader of Opposition Simplex Chithyola Banda cast doubt on the government’s ability to quickly fix the country’s economic and social challenges. He urged the administration to table a clear recovery plan and explain how key programmes, including free secondary education—will be funded. He also called for faster delivery of farm inputs to avoid another year of food insecurity.

During the five-week sitting, Parliament passed the revised 2025–2026 national budget, amendments to the Taxation and VAT laws, and a private members’ Constitution Amendment Bill. It also approved two loan authorisation bills for the M1 Road Rehabilitation II project and the Jenda Water Supply and Sanitation project.

The session further included the debate on the Presidential Address, maiden statements from new MPs, ministerial statements, the confirmation of Richard Luhanga as Inspector General of Police, formation of parliamentary committees and question time to ministers.

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