Malawi Parliament seeks to impeach president

Felix Mponda | Blantyre, Malawi

Malawi's Parliament on Monday opened debate on impeachment procedures, the first concrete step in moves to oust President Bingu wa Mutharika for allegedly violating the Constitution.

The debate in the Southern African country comes amid warnings by United Nations agencies that five million of the country's 12-million people face hunger after the worst drought in more than a decade.

"The debate on impeachment procedures is really on," said Vin Phiri, a spokesperson for Parliament. "The issue is controversial and unpredictable and I don't know how long the debate will be."

Mutharika on Saturday declared a national disaster over the food crisis, heeding calls from the opposition and church groups who pleaded for more food aid from international donors to avert a famine. <snip>

http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=253955&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__africa/

I'm not sure the church groups aren't right. Can't they deal with the immediate need first, then go for impeachment?