Video Related To: Malawi women civil servants restricted

Medical sources say Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika has died after suffering a heart attack, but there has been no official announcement of his death. Diplomatic sources say the 78-year-old president collapsed after falling ill at his home in the capital, Lilongwe, on Thursday. He was rushed to a local hospital, where sources say he died. However, the Malawian government has yet to issue a statement on the president's condition. Malawi's former president, Bakili Muluzi, urged officials on Friday to release information about Mr. Mutharika. "The present where the government is almost silent on the health status of the president is very unfortunate, and ought not to continue. It is the constitutional duty and indeed good practice of the government to inform its citizens and the world community timely, accurate and transparent information about the particulars of the ongoing treatment and health condition of their sick president." He also called on politicians to respect the constitution, which states the vice president, Joyce Banda, should take power if the president is incapacitated. "My humble appeal to all politicians involved both in government and those in opposition is that they should put the interest of the country ahead, as we anxiously await to hear from the doctors attending upon our president." Mr. Mutharika was elected president of Malawi in 2004 and won a second term in 2009. He was credited with improving food security in Malawi and, at one time, making <b>...</b>