Court adjourns elections case as winner joins it: MCP’s Kazembe v DPP’s Jooma

The High Court in Blantyre has adjourned to August 5 a case in which opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) parliamentary candidate for Mangochi Monkey Bay is challenging the victory of minister of Transport and Public Works Ralph Jooma of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

The MCP candidate Gerald Kazembe petitioned the court to nullify the parliamentary elections results and order for a rerun.

Kazembe petition is based on duplicate copies of tally sheets that were given to monitors of all which allegedly showed that he was winner in the parliamentary race in the area.

The case was supposed to go for full trial today, Thursday but High Court judge Maclean Kamwambe adjourned it after Jooma applied to join the case.

Kamwambe also failed to hear the case because presiding officers failed to turn up for cross examination by Kazembe’s legal team.

Malawi Electoral Commission lawyers have asked for more time before the pollster’s chief executive officer takes up in the witness box.

Kamwambe reluctantly adjourned the case but said he would not tolerate more delays in the case when hearing resumes on August 5.