Protests against third term turn violent

What started out as a peaceful demonstration against a proposed third term for President Bakili Muluzi turned violent on Friday when police clashed with protestors in Blantyre, the country's commercial centre. Shops remained closed as armed paramilitary police fought running street battles with demonstrators, barring them from continuing with a protest against a proposed third term for Muluzi. Demonstrators also accused the police of firing live ammunition at them. While Muluzi has maintained an official silence on the third term issue, Justice Minister Duncan Phoya has said government plans to table a bill soon to amend the constitution in order to allow president Muluzi to run for another term. A similar bill was defeated in parliament in early July. The president of the opposition Malawi Democratic Party (MDP) Kamulepo Kalua told IRIN: "We were marching peacefully. They [police] started blocking [our way]. They started throwing teargas at us. We told the people to be peaceful and calm. Not to be responsive to whatever they [police] were doing. But they kept on shooting at us. At one time they were using live ammunition in order to assassinate some of us. But this is not what we fought for. We fought for multiparty democracy and peaceful transition and even the freedom to march." He said police had earlier assured the demonstrators that they would be protected. Church organisations, human rights groups and some opposition political parties had planned a peaceful demonstration against the proposed third term. The activists alleged that police had allowed ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) supporters to disrupt the peaceful demonstration. "The UDF people are hooligans, people who have been bribed to disrupt this peaceful demonstration," alleged Robson Chitengo of the Church and Society NGO. The High Court in Blantyre last week reversed a presidential decree banning all demonstrations against or in favour of a third term for Muluzi. He had also instructed the police and army to "deal" with anyone who defied his order. Judge Edward Twea said in his ruling that "the president has no powers to make laws" and that Muluzi's ban and his directive to the security forces encroached on citizens' rights. At Mzuzu, in northern Malawi, a similar demonstration was stopped by police before it began. One of the organisers, Daire Kumwenda, told IRIN that police had said they did not want a repeat of the chaos in Blantyre. "They're fearing the same can happen here ... but the people want to exercise their right [to demonstrate]," he complained. The third term issue has divided the ruling party. Last month, Muluzi fired Jan-Jaap Sonke from his cabinet. "I begged him to withdraw [his bid for a third term] before a lot of damage was done," Sonke told IRIN. Sonke feared the UDF could lose the 2004 election if Muluzi stood again and that donors would halt aid to the country. According to Sonke, at least 10 other UDF MPs would not support the bill if introduced in the national assembly, but were too scared to declare this publicly.