VP MALEWEZI'S POLITICAL MISJUDGMENTS AND LEGAL WOES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LILONGWE 000245 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/24/2014 TAGS: PGOV KDEM MI SUBJECT: VP MALEWEZI'S POLITICAL MISJUDGMENTS AND LEGAL WOES REF: A. LILONGWE 166 ¶B. LILONGWE 38 ¶C. LILONGWE 1 ¶D. LILONGWE 123 ¶E. 03 LILONGWE 1202 Classified By: Pol/Econ Officer Peter W. Lord, reasons 1.5 (b/d). SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Since his January 1 resignation from the ruling United Democratic Front vice presidency and announcement of indefinite leave as Malawi's Vice President, Justin Malewezi has joined the opposition People's Progressive Movement (PPM),declared himself an independent presidential candidate, been ousted from PPM, and been taken to court by government in a bid to remove him as the country's Vice President. Meanwhile, his public reputation has suffered from perceptions of him being "power hungry" and "opportunistic." Known as one of the GOM's hardest working and professional technocrats, Malewezi has sacrificed his public stature by his recent political missteps and has reinforced the public's opinion that he is not politically savvy. END SUMMARY. POLITICAL MISJUDGMENTS -------------- ¶2. (SBU) After resigning from the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) vice presidency and announcing his indefinite leave as Malawi's Vice President, Malewezi joined the opposition People's Progressive Movement (PPM) on January 8 and was subsequently elected that party's vice president (reftel A). As a member of the Mgwirizano Coalition of opposition parties, PPM, eligible to field only one candidate for the Coalition's leadership, saw PPM president Aleke Banda elected as the Coalition's running mate. Rumors at the time indicated that the clergy orchestrating the Coalition's candidate selection procedures had always supported Malewezi as their preferred Coalition presidential candidate. When technicalities prevented consideration of Malewezi as an additional candidate from PPM, Malewezi reportedly attempted to stand as the Malawi Forum for Unity and Development (MAFUNDE) candidate in the Coalition elections and then decided not to. Malewezi's quick consideration to turn to MAFUNDE, after recently leaving the ruling UDF and joining PPM, did not play well. ¶3. (SBU) Two weeks after the Mgwirizano Coalition elected its leadership, Malewezi declared himself an independent presidential candidate and took PPM-founder Jimmy Koriea-Mpatsa (who was sidelined in the election of PPM's leadership) as his running mate. President Muluzi, along with the media, condemned their actions as "power hungry" and "opportunistic." On March 22, PPM announced that Malewezi and Koriea-Mpatsa's decision to stand as independents violated the party's constitution, and the party revoked their membership. With the press reporting that many PPM members still support Malewezi, PPM has announced that all members must declare their allegiance to party. ¶4. (C) In a March 11 meeting with the Ambassador, Malewezi said there were several reasons why he decided to run for the presidency as an independent. Detailing his qualifications, Malewezi explained he had served with excellence for over 20 years in the civil service under both former President-for-Life Dr. Banda's administration and Muluzi's multi-party democracy. From his government service, Malewezi said, "There isn't a village in Malawi that doesn't know my name." Noting that he was from the largest ethnic group in the country and had a royal background, Malewezi also said he was respected as a chief amongst traditional authorities and has good relations with the highly influential churches. Malewezi, however, hung his campaign hopes on what he termed Malawi's "parochial society" attitude that it was not right what the UDF was doing to him by not selecting him to be the party's presidential candidate and that the presidency was rightfully his after 10 years of service as the Vice President. Malewezi said this "reservoir of goodwill" from the people and his "good reputation" were the driving forces behind his decision to contest and would lead him to victory at the May 18 elections. ¶5. (U) In addition to his presidential bid, Malewezi is contesting for the parliamentary seat in his home district of Ntchisi North-East. (NOTE: The Electoral Commission currently has Malewezi listed as a candidate on the PPM ticket. It is uncertain how the Electoral Commission and PPM will resolve this matter, as the deadline to change party affiliations on the Commission's official roster has passed.) LEGAL WOES -------------- ¶6. (SBU) In mid-February, the GOM filed a new legal action against Malewezi, claiming that by "implication of his own conduct" Malewezi resigned from the Vice Presidency and that government should have the right to appoint a new First Vice President. After the Court's dismissal of the GOM's first application of prosecution in January and denial of an expedited trial on the second application in March, government hired a private lawyer to strengthen the Attorney General's legal team. The courts have agreed that without an expedited hearing, the matter is unlikely to be resolved before the May 18 elections, making the immediate case a mute point. However, the High Court Judge assigned to the case said a verdict will answer an important constitutional question about vice presidential succession that should be answered regardless of timing. A trial date has not yet been set. ¶7. (C) Government has seized and/or frozen all resources normally allocated to the Vice President. Malewezi told the Ambassador on March 11 that the GOM had seized the vice presidential vehicles (four in total),claiming that Malewezi was illegally using the government vehicles for partisan activities. Malewezi also said as Vice President his monthly salary and allowances normally amounted to roughly USD 3,700, but he was now receiving less than USD 400 per month. At present, Malewezi also resides in his private home in Likuni, rather than in a government-owned house. COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (C) If Malawian technocrats and the donor community could vote, Malewezi would win the presidency hands down. However, with his recent political missteps and bad timing, it is unlikely he will fare well in the presidential elections. BROWNING