Mutharika delays to assent to electoral reform bills worry PAC
Quasi-religious body, the Public Affairs Committee (PAC) has expressed its concern over president Peter Mutharika’s delays to assent to the electoral reform bills into law, saying the country is racing against time for the Constitutional Court sanctioned fresh presidential election.
The electoral reform laws will guide the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) in the holding of the fresh election on May 19, 2019.
PAC chairperson Monsignor Patrick Thawale implored on Mutharika to immediately sign the bills into laws.
“The signing of the bills into laws will be in the interest of Malawians. We don’t have much time for the preparations of the fresh election.
“When you look at the bills, they are for the good well being of all Malawians, they are very important for the nation,” he said.
He said the president must be serious on issues of national importance by assenting to the bills.
Thawale said Mutharika should look at the seriousness of the bills.
However, presidential spokesperson Mgeme Kalilani said Mutharika will make his stand on whether to assent to the electoral reform bills or not by Friday.
In the event that the president has refused to assent to the bills, the bills will be taken back to parliament where they will be debated and passed.
Among others, the bills sets the date for the fresh election, gives guidance on the holding of a rerun in case no presidential candidate failed to amass the 50+1 and empowers the president to fire the current cohort of MEC commissioners.
Sources close to the president say Mutharika is waiting for a Supreme Court ruling on the election case before making decision on the bills.
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akuona ngati dziko ndi lake, akudikila ma lawyer a ku joni
The problem with our brainless Mutharika is that he has very little understanding of the Constitution but also very little regard for laws of the land. Apparently he does not know that the only reason he is currently running the government is because the court gave him a 150-day mandate to do so, so that he can carry out the court orders! Absent that he has no mandate to run the country and should the 150-day court ordered mandate expire it will not be renewed to allow him to continue running the country absent winning the called for fresh elections!… Read more »
Malawians are just waiting, after 21 days he will be forced to sign, he is not above the law. What Mutharika is doing gives a lot of people doubt about his education
Munthu wakuba anthu akamufusa kuti akumanga chifukwa chiyani iye amati “ Akuti ndaba” sanena kuti ndaba.!!!!! The moment he sign those bills he will start to pack…..
Peter has intelligent disabled advisors
I know idiot.
If you follow Super Power comments soon after Concourt, this was one of the issues that was raised. What next Malawi?????
This is why the mad Supreme Court Judge calling herself MEC Chairperson is very rude and taking Malawians as fools as her cohort, the president, is holding the baton of rule.
Supreme Court bring forward the substantive case on the appeal, uphold the Concourt Judgement, AND PUT IN PLACE PRESIDENTIAL COUNCIL BY ORDER OF THE COURT. All this madness will go and we will have a free and fair fresh presidential elections.
i agree 100% with you and have difficulties understanding why our brainless Mutharika and his DPP can not see this!!
Mfiti mr tippex ndi mfiti jane ansah chilipo chikuwasata awiriwa ndithu mungoti phee muona.Phee ndalemba apayu sakuthandauza kuti tisamalakhule ayi koma chikubweracho wina azafuna kulowa pauna lanyerere ndithu madzi atafika pakhosi kuno ndi kunja kunayanja lichero.
Senseless comment ukuganiza abale akowo slipo aku wafika? 😏
Best thing is for the bills to be sent back to parliament so that they can be debated on thoroughly. The opposition rushed through them and now there is need for parliament to scrutinise them.
Those laws were rushed though parliament and guidelines were broken so there is need for him to send the bills back to parliament.
No Bill was rushed. Its MEC Irregularities that were rushed and you could also say the inauguration on an illegal President.
Was the constitutional amendment on 50+1 passed? NO.It was rejected by parliament. What the Speaker did after that was to rush to change the Elections Act in order to bypass the need to change the constitution. Was this right? In fact, the Speaker was supposed to put a one-month notice for the Electoral Act to be changed. Did she do that? NO. The opposition ignored this legal requirement. So, it is just proper for the bills to be sent back so that they can be deliberated on properly. Our country is always messed up because people used underhand methods apparently… Read more »
No Bill Was rushed. Its MEC’s Selfish Irregularities that were rushed. The Inauguration for the Illegal President on the Land was rushed.
Fair the game brother, sign the Bills into Laws and let us hold real Elections again.
MEC had to declare results within 8 days. So, presidential inauguration was not rushed.
There are laws that guide what happens when laws are not assented to by the president. No need to worry.