Various sections of society continue piling pressure on the Malawi government not to allow hosting an African Union-AU summit this June.
Malawi will in June host an AU summit which will hold a run-off election of the pan African body’s executive commission’s chairperson.
African Union leaders failed in a vote Monday to choose a new chairman, who is the administrative head of the 54 member bloc.
Neither incumbent Jean Ping from Gabon nor South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma managed to secure the two-thirds of votes needed to become commission chairperson.
The heads of state and government of the African Union on Tuesday agreed to hold the 19th Ordinary Session in Lilongwe, Malawi, from June 23 to 30, 2012, to among others elect the bloc's influential executive Commission.
However, former Vice president Dr. Cassim Chilumpha who also served as Finance Minister in the United Democratic Front-UDF government says Malawians are going through various problems which need immediate solution, therefore money programmed to be spent on the AU summit should be channeled towards addressing Malawi’s problems.
Dr. Chilumpha said government should not take a further burden by hosting an international conference which will not benefit local Malawians.
