24 legislators for the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Tuesday blocked the entrance to the Parliament in protest against their suspension for disrespecting Speaker of the National Assembly Catherine Gotani Hara.
Hara used Order 105(3) on the MPs for ignoring her call to sit down when the embattled Leader of Opposition (LoP) Kondwani Nankhumwa was responding to the State of the Nation Address (SONA).
DPP leader in the house Mary Navicha said they were surprised when the security blocked them saying they were not told not to go to parliament.
The party appointed Navicha as LoP replacing Nankhumwa who was expelled from the party.
However, Hara earlier communicated that she recognizes Nankhumwa as LoP because of the injunction he obtained in 2022.
The MPs, who were later joined by party supporters, vowed to continue with the protests until speaker of parliament addresses their concerns.
Meanwhile, a coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has denounced the interruption of parliamentary proceedings caused by a disagreement over the Leader of Opposition position in Parliament.
In a joint statement by National Advocacy Platform (Nap), Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC), Youth and Society (Yas), and nine other CSOs, the coalition has urged members to uphold the principles of the Constitution of Malawi, which provides avenues for seeking justice and resolution.
The statement also emphasized that disrupting parliamentary business undermines the rule of law and sets a dangerous precedent for democracy.
