High Court judge reserves ruling on presidential election case
High Court judge Charles Mkandawire has reserved his ruling on the vacation of injunction obtained by the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) on the announcement of the election result.
The judge told lawyers from Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC), the MCP and friends of the court, the Malawi Law Society that he would deliver the ruling within a “reasonable time”.
Mkandawire said this after the lawyers battled it out the whole day in the court, a case which was held in camera.
MEC chairperson Jane Ansah said MEC could not go ahead to announce the presidential result until the injunction has been vacated.
“We are not in control of the situation until the judge makes a ruling,” she said.
Ansah said she was aware that the country is in locked down as people are not able to do their daily business.
The MCP wants MEC to do a recount of votes in some areas, saying there were manipulation of the votes.
UTM president Saulos Chilima told the press on Saturday that there should be a rerun of the poll but Ansah said MEC has not yet received the request.
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MEC under the leadership of Ansah has failed to run elections….. Votes were free and fair to steal……people were free to to whatever they wanted to do since MEC was in Zimbabwe on 21 May
Democracy has been butchered ………Malawi mavuto enieni….
The elections did not have a level playing field. Returning officers received promotions which were done hastily. police officers received promotions who were supposed to provide security during polls. Chiefs were promoted who are custodians of our culture and they live with povo in the villages, bicycles were distributed to pple. stadiums were made available for BB & nyerere. materials for mcp were locked up in mra warehouses. Extra ballots in Nsanje.
too much nonsense happened. observers know this. Basi re-run the polls.
SOME OF US HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS SUCH AS WHY IS MEC NOT GIVING US HOPE THAT THEY ARE DIRECTING THEIR EFFORTS AND ENERGY TO SORT OUT ALL THE ANOMALIES BEFORE THE EXPIRY OF THE 8 DAYS?INSTEAD MEC SEEM TO BE BUSY FIGHTING MCP TO ANNOUNCE THE RESULTS WITH ANOMALIES, DOES THIS MAKE SENSE?.THESE ARE THE RESULTS THAT MALAWIANS ARE GETTING FROM THE SELFISHNESS OF ONE WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR FIELDING MEC WITH COMPROMISED COMMISSIONERS.
This case has no merit. MEC has the mechanism and a complaints desk. MCP should have known where to take their complaints. taking the matter to court only delays the process. Results should be announced within 8 days as the law says and even vote recount should be done within the same period. The duty of the courts is not to change the constituion but to interplate. in the event that there should be an extension, which group of MPs will be allowed to amend the electoral law. the new or old. If it is the old then that will… Read more »
Lilian, seems you don’t have enough information as regards MEC/MCP issues. MCP on 23 May 2019 submitted a 48 page document to MEC that contain complaints and evidence of vote rigging. MCP didn’t just rush to court before having consultations with MEC. I wonder if you know what forced MEC to stop giving the public periodic updates of presidential election results. During the meeting with political parties, MEC acted in a manner that showed putting less attention on MCP’s complaints, despite producing overwhelming rigging evidence that’s why they rushed to court. MEC only emphasized on releasing the results within 8… Read more »
true man, waited for updates for a whole 48+ hrs. No madando resolutions. We should be treated as pple with no brains, or with a brain of a chicken.
What MCP is asking is very simple in my opinion..Why is MEC refusing to grant them there wish of recounting the votes??Go and recount the votes to avoid bloodshed,,should anything happen becoz you Jane Ansah wapanga chiganizo chokomela chibwenzi chako chakalecho magazi amene angakhe adzakhala pamutu pako…By the way Mai Ansah after this election mudzipitabe Ku church ndikumawauza anthu a Ku church kwanu on the evils of lies,theft,greed without any shame…May the good lord almighty punish you right away,you fake pastor…. Mutilengezelekonso dzina LA ma auditor mwapanga engage wo,they don’t know there work..How can an auditor accept results tampered with… Read more »
Get the facts correct without your polirised mind. MEC is not refusing the recount but does not want any injunction to stop them from doing their work of announcing the rsults within 8 days. All complaints should be launched at EC not court unless EC fails to resolve them.
Lilian,
Kafufuze kaye then ubwerenso. Seems zambiri sukuzisata pankhaniyi.
Lilian, MEC is refusing under the cover of INJUNCTION. Where were their watchdogs when all this happened? All the ballot papers are tempered with……they are tippexed ……MCP is exposing the truth which they want to distort……. Pray, let them announce the truth…..which I know they are ashamed of…… The end will be disaster.