George Chaponda replaced as DPP’s leader of the house, young Mutharika takes over

Former ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has appointed party interim President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika to be in charge of its affairs in the Malawi National Assembly.

Professor Mutharika has replaced Dr George Chaponda who has been holding the seat for the past couple of years.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Secretary GeneraL Mr Wakuda Kamanga has since confirmed the appointment to the local media that they have agreed to change the leadership of the party in the National Assembly.

However, no reasons have been given for the change of the leadership in the house.

“We had a meeting last week where we agreed to change leadership in parliament, we now have new people who will be led by Peter Mutharika,” Wakuda Kamanga was quoted as saying by the local media.

Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika
According to the new setting in the house, Professor Mutharika is being deputized by former Finance Minister in the late President Ngwazi Professor Bingu wa Mutharika’s administration Goodall Gondwe while the Chief Whip is Wictor Songa za Udzu Sajeni. His Deputy is Lonnie Chijere Chirwa.

The DPP Secretary General also went on to say that he was not clear on the number of his party’s legislators who have ditched the Party to either join the ruling People’s Party (PP) of President Mrs. Joyce Banda or have declared themselves independent.

“So far I haven’t received any communication from our MPs informing me that they have resigned from the DPP,” he was quoted as saying by the local media.

But recent media reports have indicated that about 60 DPP MP’s have now started to sit on the government benches while others have declared themselves as independent.
The DPP recently said it is going to meet on whether to instruct the speaker to invoke section 65 on those who have ditched the party to join the ruling PP.

Section 65 empowers the Speaker of the National Assembly to declare vacant seats of members who move from one party to the other represented in the National Assembly as they are deemed to have crossed the floor.