Nyekhwe again! Court orders another re-run, UDF MP loses seat in Mangochi North East

United Democratic Front (UDF)  Parliamentarian for Mangochi North East, Idi Kalosi  has become  the second casualty in the on-going May 21 2019 Tripartite Elections cases after the High Court in Blantyre  has nullified the constituency’s legislative results and ordered a re-run.

The first MP to lose seat was Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Parliamentarian for Mangochi West, Geoffrey Chiwondo, after court ordered Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) to conduct a re-run in the constituency .

Now the Court has nullified Mangochi North East election refults, lawyer Chimwemwe Kalua confirmed.

The court observed that MEC failed to conduct a free and fair Parliamentary election, thus rendering the credibility of the election and its results questionable.

Kalosi said he welcomes the court’s judgement, but said he will go back on the ground to campaign to return the seat.

“I am not worried, I will campaign to win,” he said.

This means two seats in Mangochi will go for re-run and there is another case on Mangochi-Monkeybay constituency in which Malawi Congress Party (MCP) candidate Gerald Kazembe who took the matter to court, challenging the elections’ results and the electoral body’s declaration of the DPP candidate Ralph Jooma  as the winner.

MEC spokesperson Sangwani Mwafulirwa said the commission was a law-abiding institution and respects the court’s judgment.