The dissolved National Assembly reconvened Friday to debate a constitutional amendment bill on a new election date after a High Court order on Sunday stopped the Electoral Commission from holding the elections on 25 May until 21 days elapse from the day of registration, 14 May.

Details of the emergency meeting were not immediately available. The Malawi constitution requires that there be a 21-day gap between close of voter registration and the actual Election Day.

On a related matter, a Supreme Court ruling on whether the Electoral Commission has the legal mandate to appeal a High Court order is expected on 25 May, according to Arthur Nanthuru, the Commissioner responsible for legal affairs. The High Court recently ruled in favour of two opposition parties, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and the Alliance for Democracy (AFORD), in a case in which the Commission is contesting a decision that leaders of the two parties can pair up in the presidential race.

With the electoral process increasingly dominated by these and other legal battles, the ordinary Malawian has not been given the opportunity to debate issues that will affect their lives beyond the election day. Malawi is classified as one of the poorest countries in the world. Like many southern African countries, Malawi has been facing serious economic problems since its currency collapsed last year. The Central Bank of Malawi devalued the kwacha by over 60 percent within the last twelve months saying this was necessary to buttress the country-s export base after South Africa and Zimbabwe, the region-s largest economies, had seen their currencies tumbling against the US dollar.

"This adjustment was made to be in line with what is happening to the South African rand and the Zimbabwe dollar| and also to counter a drop of about US$80 million in tobacco export earnings. With that drop, there was no money to support the kwacha," Central Bank Deputy General Manager, Tobias Chinkhwangwa, said at the time.

But the devaluation has caused the prices of basic commodities to rise by over 100 percent, pushing low income families into further poverty.

Analysts here say the social service structure has collapsed while there is no money to repair roads and other infrastructure.

The ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) led by President Bakili Muluzi came to power in 1994 introducing sweeping economic changes on the advice of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. While the reforms gave every citizen the opportunity to start their own businesses, the economy was seriously exposed to the chill winds of international competition.

Firstly, the much anticipated foreign investment was not forthcoming. Secondly, domestic industry started shrinking as companies embarked on cost recovery measures, retrenching people and thereby weakening consumer buying power.

The ultimate result was an economy more dependent on external aid than ever before. However, donors are still hanging on to the US$1.3 million pledged last year for the 1998-2000 period. The Paris Club, led by the Bretton Woods institutions, the IMF and the World Bank, met in Malawi in December 1998 and warned that they would only release the money if the government implemented further economic reforms.