Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04LILONGWE410
2004-05-17 12:07:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Lilongwe
Cable title:  

MULUZI CONFIRMS 5/20 ELECTIONS, 5/24 INAUGURATION

Tags:  PGOV KDEM ETRD MZ MI 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L LILONGWE 000410 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/17/2009
TAGS: PGOV KDEM ETRD MZ MI
SUBJECT: MULUZI CONFIRMS 5/20 ELECTIONS, 5/24 INAUGURATION

REF: LILONGWE 405

Classified By: CDA TDougherty for reasons 1.5 b/d.

C O N F I D E N T I A L LILONGWE 000410

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/17/2009
TAGS: PGOV KDEM ETRD MZ MI
SUBJECT: MULUZI CONFIRMS 5/20 ELECTIONS, 5/24 INAUGURATION

REF: LILONGWE 405

Classified By: CDA TDougherty for reasons 1.5 b/d.


1. (C) President Muluzi telephoned Ambassador Browning May 15
on the eve of his departure from post. In the five-minute
call, Muluzi wished the Ambassador well on his sudden
assignment to Baghdad, about which he said the Minister of
Foreign Affairs had briefed him. The Ambassador in turn
wished Muluzi well in his post-presidential endeavors. He
congratulated him for steering Malawi over the past decade
from a dictatorship to an active democracy with multiparty
elections and a vibrant press (to which Muluzi joked: "Yes,
sometimes maybe too vibrant!").


2. (C) Muluzi confirmed that presidential and parliamentary
elections, which had been postponed from their original May
18 date by a court order (reftel),will now take place on May

20. When the Ambassador commented that many people had
speculated the new date would be May 25, Muluzi replied that
elections needed to take place on May 20 since he had already
invited other heads of state to an inauguration ceremony in
Blantyre on May 24.


3. (C) The Ambassador raised the urgency of Malawi signing
the (long-delayed) Direct Agreement necessary for a $30
million USD OPIC loan for rehabilitation of the Nacala
Corridor. Muluzi said he expected the Agreement would be
signed on May 17. (Post will report on Nacala septel.)


4. (C) Comment: Though primarily a courtesy, Muluzi's call
came amid the frantic end-game of an elections campaign,
showing how strongly he values Malawi's relationship with the
U.S.
DOUGHERTY