Finance Minister Simplex Chithyola Banda is expected to present the 2024-25 national budget statement on Friday, February 23 2024.
Speaker of Parliament Catherine Gotani Hara disclosed this when she read out the resolutions of the Business Committee of Parliament which met on Wednesday last week.
The Speaker said after the budget presentation, the House will enter into cluster committees for two weeks up to March 8.
She added that debate on the budget will last not more than 14 calendar days.
According to the programme, Chithyola Banda is expected conclude debate on the budget on March 25 after which the House will go into a Committee of Supply to deliberate and pass the budget vote by vote.
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This year’s budget comes over a year before Malawi goes to general elections in September 2025 to elect a president, lawmakers and councillors.
The biggest task for Chithyola Banda would be to match the State of the Nation Address delivered by President Lazarus Chakwera with financial allocations.
Of interest will also be how the minister will balance the demands of electoral campaigns and the need to stay the course of the Extended Credit Facility programme granted by the International Monetary Fund in September last year which has financial prudence as a key milestone.
Gotani Hara also announced that Chakwera is expected back in Parliament on Wednesday, February 21 to answer questions from lawmakers under Section 89 (3c) of the Constitution.
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She then urged Members of Parliament to submit questions “in that respect”.
