Malawi’s opposition has called on the government to explain President Peter Mutharika’s continued absence from the country as fuel shortages, frequent power cuts, limited access to essential medicines and a shortage of foreign currency deepen concerns over the country’s economic situation.
Mutharika, 86, left Malawi on October 6 for what government officials described as a private visit to South Africa.
His latest trip, the fifth to the neighbouring country this year, has drawn criticism from the opposition, which says Malawians need assurance that the government is actively addressing the challenges facing the country.
The opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) has urged Vice-President Jane Ansah to address the nation and explain how the administration is managing the situation while the president remains abroad.
“Malawi is at a critical moment, and there is a need for decisive action,” the party said.
The opposition insists its concerns are not about the president’s right to travel for personal reasons but about the need for clear communication and leadership at a time when many citizens are struggling with shortages of basic necessities and unreliable public services.
Speaking to journalists in the capital, Lilongwe, on Thursday, MCP campaign director Moses Kunkuyu said the government needed to assure citizens that the country’s affairs were being handled effectively.
He said Malawians deserved to know who was making decisions and coordinating the government’s response to the country’s growing problems.
“The issue is not that the president has traveled,” he said. “The issue is that people are suffering and want reassurance that somebody is in charge.”
Kunkuyu called on the government to explain the measures it was taking to deal with persistent fuel shortages, regular electricity blackouts, inadequate supplies of essential medicines in public hospitals and difficulties in obtaining foreign currency.
The shortages have added to public frustration, with motorists facing long queues at petrol stations and households and businesses dealing with unreliable electricity supplies. The lack of essential medicines has also raised concerns about access to healthcare.
Malawi’s economic difficulties have been compounded by a severe shortage of foreign currency, which has disrupted fuel imports and contributed to rising transport costs.
The government, however, has rejected suggestions that Mutharika’s absence has left the country without effective leadership.
Information Minister Shadric Namalomba told local media that the president remained in control of government affairs despite being outside Malawi.
“A state president is always in charge at any time, anywhere,” Namalomba said.
The minister also declined to provide details about the president’s trip, maintaining that its private nature meant the government would not discuss its purpose.
“A private trip is private,” he said.
Namalomba accused the opposition of using the country’s economic problems to criticise the administration, arguing that the challenges had developed under the previous government led by Lazarus Chakwera.
“ That is why Malawians voted us into government, not them. May I request them to seal their mouths as we address the problems they miserably created and failed to solve,” he added.
Mutharika returned to power in October last year after defeating Chakwera in the presidential election. He previously served as Malawi’s president between 2014 and 2020.
His latest absence has renewed public attention on his repeated visits to South Africa, with opposition leaders questioning the limited information provided about the trips.
The president’s whereabouts have also attracted speculation on social media, particularly over claims that he had travelled from South Africa to India for medical treatment.
Earlier this month, government officials dismissed the reports, saying Mutharika had remained in South Africa.
Chief Secretary to the Government Justin Saidi urged the public not to circulate unverified information about the president’s movements.
Mutharika has previously rejected speculation about his health, describing the claims as “silly and laughable” and insisting that he was well.
The government has not provided further details about the purpose of his current visit, with Namalomba maintaining that the trip is private.
Meanwhile, the president’s absence has affected his participation in some official engagements. On Thursday, he delegated the trade minister to lead Malawi’s delegation to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) summit in Zimbabwe.
The opposition’s demands come as the government faces pressure to address the economic difficulties affecting households and businesses across the country.
With fuel supplies constrained, electricity interruptions continuing and public hospitals facing medicine shortages, the MCP wants the administration to explain how it intends to ease the problems and reassure citizens that the government is responding to their concerns.
For the opposition, the central question is not whether Mutharika is entitled to travel abroad, but whether the government is communicating clearly with the public and demonstrating that urgent national challenges are being addressed while the president remains outside the country.
The government, for its part, maintains that Mutharika remains in charge and has accused its political rivals of seeking to exploit the situation for their own gain.