Malawi sacks minister opposed to third term bid
BLANTYRE, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Malawi President Bakili Muluzi on Tuesday sacked a senior minister opposed to his plans to amend the constitution so he can stay in office beyond the current legal limit of 10 years.
Commerce and Industry Minister Peter Kaleso had been removed and his position handed to Muluzi ally Paul Maulidi, state radio said, but offered no official reason for the decision.
The sacking came as parliament debated a bill seeking to change the constitution to suit Muluzi's third term ambition.
Muluzi's ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) narrowly lost a vote on the same issue last year, but the party put him forward as its sole presidential candidate in the 2004 polls and vowed to put the amendment before parliament again.
The poor southern African country faces severe food shortages after suffering drought and floods in the past two years, and has lately been pounded by heavy rains that have made thousands homeless.
Relations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other foreign donors are strained because of what donors see as government reluctance to crack down on high-level corruption.
Kaleso said he had expected his ejection from the cabinet.
"I had indicated to everybody I would vote 'no'. They never anticipated there would be dissenters in the UDF...They were saying voting 'yes' would be (good) for my personal safety and that of my family. But I told them that is exactly what we fought against -- not to fear or toe a certain line blindly," he said.
Malawian police fired shots and teargas to disperse some 2,000 protesters on Monday, amid mounting anger over Muluzi's bid to change the constitution and keep power in the landlocked southern African country of 10 million people. At present, he should step down in 2004 after serving two five-year terms.
Muluzi's bid to stay in office has sparked international concern and enraged many Malawians, who elected him president in 1994 in a landmark democratic defeat for former dictator Kamuzu Banda, who ruled for nearly 30 years.
