Vice takes office as president of Malawi
Joyce Banda, 61, succeeds Bingu wa Mutharika, who died of a heart attack
Brazilian News Agency - Malawi's Vice President Joyce Banda will be sworn in as President of the country this Saturday, the 7th, succeeding Bingu wa Mutharika, who died at the age of 78, according to the Ministry of Information.
“It will be in the afternoon. The information I have from my superiors is that Joyce Banda, Vice President of the Republic, will be sworn in as President and Head of State of the nation of Malawi,” said Isaac Ziba, head of information and civic education at the ministry.
Joyce Banda, 61, is due to be sworn in at Parliament. The Malawian Constitution stipulates that the vice-president succeeds the president in the event of incapacity or death.
Suffering from a heart attack, Bingu wa Mutharika was transported unconscious on Wednesday (4) from the presidential palace to the central hospital in the capital, Lilongwe.
A former World Bank economist, Mutharika came to power in 2004 and was re-elected in 2009 as president of the poorest country in Southern Africa.