ConCourt adjourns to Sept 3 case challenging Malawi presidential election results

Hearing of  a case revolving around the country’s controversial May presidential elections has  been adjourned to September 3 by Malawi’s Constitutional Court.

Justice Healy  Potani  on behalf of the he five-judge panel  which includes  Ivy Kamanga, Mike Tembo, Dingiswayo Madise and Redson Kpaindu said when thecourt resumes on September 3 it will  run for 9 days  in that phase.

He said the first phase was expcted to run for 12 days but had only had  11 days because it adjouned on one day when it allowed Supreme Court of Malawi to rule on an appeal to dismiss the matter.

The case adjourned when one of the key witnesses for the first petitioner in the ongoing elections case, Miriam Gwalidi, wa sbeing cross examined by Attorney General Kalekeni Kaphal, who is representing Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) in the cas.

Gwalidi has  told the Constitutional Court that she found an official from  MEC and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) monitors altering results at a polling centre in Ndirande, Blantyre.

UTM party president  Saulos Chilima and Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president Lazarus Chakwera are challenging the outcome of the May 21 polls in which President Peter Mutharika was declared winner thereby securing another five-year term for his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Chilima and Chakwera are seeking the nullifaction of the presidential results, aguing the poll was marred by irregularities.