Mangochi independent candidate wins court case on voters roll
High Court in Blantyre has on Wednesday ordered the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) to conduct November 10 by-elections in Mangochi North-East and West constituencies using same older voters’ roll and maintain the candidates they competed in the annulled elections of May 21 2019.
This follows an injunction an independent candidate for Mangochi North-East, Martin Nyengo obtained, restraining MEC against conducting new registration and also allowing new candidates to contest.
This means that the electoral body will only proceed to use new voters’ roll in Lilongwe North West Constituency which fell vacant after President Lazarus Chakwera was elected as president and Karonga Central whose legislator, Cornelius Mwalwanda died.
Nyengo, through his lawyer, Chimwemwe Kalua took the injunction, two weeks ago after MEC had just started conducting a fresh registration in all the places where the by-elections are taking place.
High Court Judge, Joseph Chigona granted Nyengo the court relief.
According to Kalua, Chigona has ruled in favor of his candidate, Nyengo, saying MEC needs to apply same formula it used during the Fresh Presidential Elections (FPE) when conducting the by-elections.
“I am very happy with the judgment because my client’s concern has been vindicated. Actually the judgment applies to all the two constituencies in Mangochi because we consolided the issues of the two constituencies into one case,” he disclosed.
When asked, MEC director of media, Sangwani Mwafulirwa said the commission will sit down and see what it should do regarding the elections in following for the order.
“The commission is set to meet very soon and chart the way forward. But we will be continuing doing every that leads to the elections including receiving of the nomination papers from the candidates as we are doing right now,” he said
Surprised it even needed to go to court when this similar matter was raised in the Presidental vote. Continued waste of Government resources.
Nawo a Chair a MEC anafoila bwanji pamenepa. M’mesa Concourt linamula kuti pa chisankho chachibwereza cha Pulezidenti pasankhale kulembetsa maina a anthu ena okavota. Kapena kunali kuyesa madzi. Definitely the MEC Chair should have avoided this embarrassment.
This was expected after the Supreme Court ruling that dictated on how the FPE was conducted. I don’t understand why this was hard for MEC to decipher? All annulled elections has to be done in accordance to the said court ruling.
After All Mr. Peter Dominico Sinosi Driver Kuwani-MMD was right????
He has never be right until he finishes his money, then you will see that he was right to have the right to finish himself. Mbakuwaku misala ndi ndalama zozipeza mozuzika.