MEC, Mutharika lawyers satisfied with Malawi election case progress

Done with two witnesses, lawyers for Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) and President Peter Mutharika who are the respondents at the Constitutional Court hearing the presidential election petition case have expressed their satisfaction with the progress of the proceedings.

So far, the respondents have finished cross examining UTM Party presidential candidate and first petitioner in the case Saulos Chilima and his key witness Mirriam Gwalidi.

In an interview with Nyasa Times after the court adjourned on Wednesday afternoon, private practicing lawyer Tamando Chokotho who is representing MEC said they are confident that the case is going their way.

“We have managed to discredit much of their evidence which shows that we are doing fine,” he said.

On his part, President  Mutharika’s lawyer Frank Farouk Mbeta emphasized that during cross examination, they have managed to show the court that it is normal to alter some documents and they are moving forward.

“We have shown the court that it is a normal thing to do alterations because even in her (Gwalidi) own hand written notes, there were alterations. So it’s nothing new for elections presiding officers to do alterations,” he said.

Gwalidi is expected to be re-examined by UTM lawyers on Thursday, which lawyer Marshall Chilenga indicated that it will take a day.

MEC will cross-examine all 38 witnesses for Chilima, the first petitioner, as well as 16 witnesses for Malawi Congress Party (MCP) candidate Lazarus Chakwera, who is the second petitioner.

Chakwera and Chilima, who came second and third with about 35 percent and 20 percent of the presidential votes, respectively, are challenging the re-election of President Peter Mutharika who won the elections with 38 percent of the vote.