[This is what happens when the President tries to combat corruption… All the corrupt politicians then turn on him… and take him down… Looks like its going to end in a stand off. Such is Africa… Corruption wins… Jan]

Malawi party backs down from expelling president

Mon January 31, 2005 11:55 AM GMT(43)+02:00
By Mabvuto Banda

BLANTYRE (Reuters) – Malawi’s ruling United Democratic Front backed down from threats to expel President Bingu wa Mutharika from the party after divisions emerged among UDF leaders, officials said on Monday.

The saga has highlighted a deepening power struggle between supporters of wa Mutharika and former President Bakili Muluzi, who remains UDF chairman, fuelled by a corruption probe in the impoverished southern African country.

Critics of wa Mutharika, whose crackdown on graft has targeted the party’s top ranks in the last eight months, claim he has shown disrespect to the party chairman and formed parallel structures to the ruling party.

Party officials said on Sunday UDF leaders had decided to expel the president for alleged misconduct, but stopped short of doing so at a meeting that went into the early hours of Monday.

“The committee failed to expel wa Mutharika because divisions grew. People walked out late in the night (Sunday night),” Home Affairs Minister Uladi Mussa told Reuters.

Mussa added that a committee of party insiders would meet with wa Mutharika this week in a bid to resolve the impasse.

“We failed to come up with a decision to expel the president and we resolved that we form a sub-committee to meet the president and iron out the differences,” said party spokesman Salule Masangwi.

Source: Reuters
URL: www.Reuters.co.za