Analyst faults Kaliya for undermining court in poll case

University of Malawi Chancellor College-based political analyst Mustafa Hussein has dismissed  the sole independent presidential candidate in the  May 21 Tripartite Elections, Reverend Hardwick Kaliya remarks that other contenders should accept  defeat graciously, saying he is undermining the court where  Saulos Chilima and Lazarus Chakwera are challenging results of the presidential race.

During a news conference in Blantyre on Tuesday, Kaliya declared the elections free, fair and credible: He appealed to other candidate  to “just let it go.”

But Hussein  cautioned Kaliya on his sentiments.

“I think Kaliya may have restrained himself from commenting on issues  that are now in court,” he said.

Chilima—the country’s immediate past vice-president who vied for the presidency on a UTM Party ticket—and Chakwera of Malawi Congress Party (MCP) are challenging results announced by Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) declaring Mutharika as winner.

MEC on May 27 declared Mutharika winner of the presidential race with 1 940 709 votes representing 38.57 percent followed by MCP’s Lazarus Chakwera with 1 781 740 votes representing 35.41 percent while Chilima finished third and ahead of four other aspirants with 1 018 369 votes representing 20.24 percent.

Kaliya also lost the Blantyre City West parliamentary elections.

He ditched the DPP when he fell during the party’s primary elections for ward councillor ahead of the 2014 polls.

While several election observer missions, both local and international, declared the electoral process free and fair, others, including the local quasi-religious group Public Affairs Committee (PAC) and the European Union Election Observer Mission expressed some reservations.

In its analysis of the polls, PAC said the results management process lacked credibility, especially in the wake of revelations of use of Tippex, a correction fluid MEC admitted was not part of its inventory.

The European Union Election Observer Mission also faulted the results management system.

During press briefings, MEC chairperson Jane Ansah, a judge of the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal, said there were 147  “Madando” [complaints] lodged and that the issue of Tippex was resolved.