FIRST LADY ETHEL MUTHARIKA DIES

UNCLAS LILONGWE 000402

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

STATE FOR AF/S
STATE FOR INR/AA RITA BYRNES

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM MI
SUBJECT: FIRST LADY ETHEL MUTHARIKA DIES



1. (SBU) First Lady Ethel Mutharika passed away on the afternoon of
May 28 after a two-year bout with cancer. Mutharika passed away at
home in Lilongwe's New State House with President Bingu wa Mutharika
by her side. The Government of Malawi has announced a thirty-day
period of mourning for the First Lady, and Parliament has adjourned
indefinitely. Public viewings of the First Lady's body are being
held at State House on May 29, and thereafter in Mzuzu and Blantyre
before her State Burial Ceremony on June 9 in the President's home
area of Thyolo.


2. (SBU) The First Lady's health has been the subject of wide
speculation over the past few months, to the dismay of State House.
The Government of Malawi's statement, released on May 29, that the
First Lady had been suffering from cancer "over a period of two
years" is one of the few acknowledgements of the extent of
Mutharika's illness. Mutharika had sought treatment in both France
and South Africa over the past two years.


3. (SBU) Ethel Mutharika, a Zimbabwean-born Malawian, had been
married to President Mutharika for over thirty-seven years. She is
best-known in Malawi for starting the Ethel Mutharika Foundation
when her husband was elected president in 2004. The Foundation
performed various charitable works aimed at the social development
of Malawian women and children. The First Lady is survived by her
husband and four children--two daughters who live in Malawi, and two
sons who live abroad.


4. (SBU) Parliament indefinitely suspended its annual budget session
upon the announcement of the First Lady's death on May 28.
Parliamentarians, however, were told to remain in Lilongwe for the
time being, leading many to believe that the crucial session will
resume meeting shortly. The budget, which must be passed by
Parliament, had been scheduled to be presented by the Minister of
Finance on June 15 (the financial year ends June 30).


5. (SBU) Comment: Time will tell, but Ethel Mutharika's death could
have a significant impact on President Mutharika and the direction
of his presidency over the next two years. The First Lady was one
of the few members of President Mutharika's inner circle, and many
credit her with pushing the president towards the appointment of a
number of female Ministers (including Minister of Health Marjorie
Ngaunje, a personal friend of the First Lady's). Some speculate
that with Ethel's death President Mutharika might lean more on his
daughters (particularly Duwa Mutharika, who currently runs a local
weekly newspaper) or his political advisors. However there is the
possibility that Mutharika, already paranoid regarding his political
opponents and isolated from forthright advisors, could turn even
more insular with the loss of his life-long partner. End Comment.


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