Banda praised for Malawi's transition, but bumpy road ahead

Malawi's new President Joyce Banda won praise on Sunday for keeping a young democracy on track, but southern Africa's first woman leader must now put the brakes on an economic and diplomatic nosedive.

The 61-year-old was sworn in smoothly on Saturday just hours after officials confirmed the death two days earlier of president Bingu wa Mutharika whose rule had sparked alarms over democratic freedoms and economic mismanagement.

"This has helped to entrench and cement a democratic culture in the country and is a fresh breath of air on our African continent, where smooth transitions are rare," said the country's Sunday Times.

"Malawi, with a young history of 18 years of democracy, joins African countries such as neighbours Zambia and Senegal in West Africa who have recently had peaceful, orderly and smooth transitions."

Banda was hailed for offering an olive branch to Mutharika's backers, saying there was no room for revenge, after two days of political uncertainty in which the former leader's inner circle tried to block her assuming the post.

"We can now all look back with pride and optimism at what we have achieved as a nation in the last few days and focus on the huge task of healing and rectifying the undeniable mess that our nation finds itself in," said the Nation on Sunday.

Information Minister Patricia Kaliati, who on Friday said that as vice president Banda had no claim to the presidency, said the cabinet was now behind Banda's unifying call.

"Whatever was there, they've withdrawn and they've promised to work together," she told AFP after the swearing-in, to lead until scheduled 2014 polls.

"We are in the young democracy but we practice it as if our democracy is matured," she added.

Mutharika had expelled Banda from his ruling party in a bitter succession battle, as he chose to groom his brother Peter as heir apparent.

Last year she formed her own People's Party and became a vocal critic of Mutharika's handling of the economy.

At her inauguration, she did not lay out any policy proposals, saying the nation should rather focus on mourning Mutharika.

But her party's platform includes calls for greater private investment, boosting commercial agriculture, and diversifying exports away from the main cash crop tobacco.

Mutharika died after a heart attack on Thursday amid demands for his resignation and threats of unrest, following anti-government protests last year when police shot 19 people dead.

The former World Bank economist was re-elected with a sweeping majority in 2009 but was increasingly accused of wrecking the economy and autocratic crack downs on the media, protests and criticism of the state.

His feuds with donors and lenders such as the International Monetary Fund have hamstrung the aid-dependent economy, with massive shortfalls in the main foreign exchange earner tobacco pushing the country into crisis.

Last year, major backer Britain slashed its funds in a diplomatic showdown, after concerns over Mutharika's leadership were leaked.

The international community also lauded the peaceful transition, saying Malawi had shown its commitment to democracy and welcomed Banda's swearing in after uncertainty over the delays in announcing Mutharika's death.

Thumbiko Msiska, who works for a NGO, said sorrow over Mutharika's death was minimal and hoped Banda would be more willing to listen than her predecessor dubbed 'Mr Know-It-All'.

"We thought he was at the centre of the problems that we were encountering as a country. And him going, I think, paves way for some change," he said at her swearing in.

"We take this as a divine intervention because there was a call for him to resign. It's actually a divine resignation."

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