Can economic development be a moral justification to amend the constitution of Malawi?

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine critically the prevalent tendency among emerging democracies of justifying a constitutional amendment, which aims at extending incumbent presidents’ constitutionally-defined terms of office, with economic development. The analysis is purely on the basis of moral and constitutional theory of constitutional democracy. From a case study of Malawi’s politics, we learn that a moral imperative, such as economic development, can never morally justify an unethical means.