Killer AIDS stalks Malawi's corridors of power

LILONGWE, Malawi (Reuters) -- Many members of parliament who died during Malawi's first democratically elected government were killed by AIDS-related diseases, the speaker of parliament was quoted on Thursday as saying.

"Out of 177 MPs we had, 29 died within the five years from 1994 to 1999. This is a very high death rate by any standard. Many of them died of AIDS-related cases," the Nation newspaper quoted speaker Sam Mpasu as saying.

Malawi has a high incidence of the disease that is the scourge of Africa, with one-quarter of the country's urban working population expected to die of AIDS-related illnesses over the next decade.

The small southern African country has a population of 9.8 million.

Mpasu's revelation followed an appeal by Malawian President Bakili Muluzi for more openness about the disease that poses one of the biggest threats to the continent.

Malawi, one of the world's 15 poorest countries, introduced multi-party politics in 1994 after 30 years of one-party rule under Hastings Kamuzu Banda.

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