PP seeking legal opinion over disqualified candidate

People’s Party (PP) has said it is seeking legal opinion from its legal Affairs director Henry Phoya and his deputy Ralph Mhone on how to go about with the disqualification of their candidate Blackson Gondwe from participating in the Mzuzu city’s Chibanja ward by-elections.

On Friday last week, the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) in a statement that the decision to disqualify PP candidate was effected because Gondwe obtained registration certificate fraudulently and his same does not appear on the list of registered voters.

But speaking in an interview PP’s spokesperson Ken Msonda said the party feels someone is behind the rejection for political reasons.

Msonda said the party fails to understand that MEC is able to detect the voter card details of their candidate at its computers in Mzuzu but fails to access the same through their headquarters’ computers.

He said Phoya and Mhone are meeting to give them the direction on how best to deal with this issue.

MEC is holding by-elections in Chibanja ward to replace the deceased Charles Nyrongo so that the people of the area have continued representation on issues of development at the Mzuzu city council.

Charles Molgera(MCP) George Manda(DPP) Ulayakaunda(Mafunde) EsmeyZinthamboJere(Umodzi Party) Mike Phiri(independent) Gibson Chisale (Alliance for Democracy) will contest in the by-elections.

The statement from MEC explains that the Peoples Party will not be given a second chance to identify another candidate as nomination by substation is not acceptable.

“The Commission also upheld the precedent and guidance made during the May 2014 Tripartite Elections that nomination by substitution is not applicable under the current legal framework.

“This means that the Peoples Party will not have a candidate in Chibanja Ward By-elections. The candidate has, however, been given the opportunity to appeal with the High Court of Malawi,” reads the statement.

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