Rerun bid justifiable, MCP’s Mkaka tells court in Malawi poll case

November 4, 2019 Wongani Chiuta - Nyasa Times 26 Comments

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Secretary General, Eisenhower Mkaka, who is a fifth witness for party presidential hopeful Lazarus Chakwera at the Constitutional Court hearing the elections case in Lilongwe has said the bid to for re-run is “justifiable” on the basis of irregularities and illegalities.

Mkaka:  MEC subverted the will of people and democracy to choose its winner of presidential race

Mkaka said this on Monday when Attorney General, Kalekeni Kaphale, who is representing the Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec) in the case, was cross-examining him in the case.

The MCP secretary general and legislator told the Court that about 71 presiding officers confessed to having changed the electoral results in absence of political party monitors.

However, the sentiments did not amuse Kaphale who tried to make Mkaka to withdraw it but a panel of five judges intervened and the sentiments have been recorded.

Mkaka said election results were characterised by serious credibility gaps and need to be nullified.

He said call for “rerun is justifiable,” saying  Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) did not work as neutral arbiters in the polls but were  responsible to manipulate results in favour of President Peter Mutharika the first respondent in the case.

Mkaka said MEC subverted the will of the people.

“They took the role of picking the President of the country instead of being a neutral referee who accepts the will of the people to elect a President,” said Mkaka.

When put to him by Kaphale that he was merely stating an opinion, Mkaka said: “That is not an opinion, that’s a fact.”

Kaphale insisted Mkaka was making a summation of opinion.

“Whilst it is a summation, it doesn’t qualify to be an opinion but a fact,” said Mkaka.

Mkaka, whose sworn statement is on Constitutional Court record, claimed that MCP’s Chakwera won the May 21 elections by 2,072,826 votes against DPPs Peter Mutharika who allegedly got 1,817,473 votes.

“We strongly believe that Mec concealed a figure of 317,154 votes for Dr Lazarus Chakwera from his Central Region stronghold,” reads part of Mkaka’s statement.

Chakwera, who came second in the presidential race, claims through another  his key witnesses, Peter Lackson, that he polled 1 955 901 votes against Mutharika’s 1 873 689, according to the party’s parallel national tally centre.

But, according to results released by the MEC, second respondent in the case—Mutharika won the race by 1 940 709 votes, trailed by Chakwera with 1 781 740 votes—a difference of 158 969 votes.

The electoral body placed first respondent UTM Party president Saulos Chilima on third position, with 1 018 369 votes—a margin of 6 225 lower votes going by what MCP is claiming in court using their parallel national tally centre.

Chakwera is asking the court to nullify the results of the May 21 Presidential Election as he claims it was not conducted in accordance with the Constitution.

The MCP presidential hopeful is also asking the Constitutional Court to direct MEC to organise and conduct a fresh Presidential Election in strict conformity with the Constitution and PPEA.

Chakwera claims, in his sworn statement, that MEC accepted the use of results tally sheets defaced with Tippex as a record for the polled votes, in place of original results tally sheets with no Tippex on them, without any plausible justification.

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26 replies on “Rerun bid justifiable, MCP’s Mkaka tells court in Malawi poll case”

  2. You have brought everything that we were waiting for …you are the Champion of all …
    Let us save our Country with Justice

  5. Kaphale has floored mcp leadership. In 3months he has proved beyond reasonable doubt that mcp top brass is useless empty suits and fake accent. Uyu chimwendo banda maloya achita chothawisa kkkkkkk

  11. So why have the 71 presiding officers failed to swear a statement to the court?If 317k votes were stolen from chakwera why did you present only sankhani polling centre with 524 votes?

    Why are mkakas figure which he has as mcp secretary general different from Peter lackson figures from parallel tally center? And why are you withdrawn hon chimwendos sworn statement?

    Shows mcp is making the case along the way,,, after noticing mkakas failure to prove today hon chimwendo is withdrawn. Trial & error at best!

  12. I think we were following court proceeding differently. Nkaka did not prove any case of irregulaties or illegalities. He was merely saying hearsay which would have been subsatantiated had he brought his monitors to prove his allegation or collaborate his evidence. The other way to prove his alleged 2 million votes is to conduct a recount to prove if his figures are correct.

  14. The reporting is poor it doesn’t represent what really transpired in court may be you hv just chosrn only salient areas

  15. Kkkk omg Mr gwede. Mkaka even attempted to withdraw what he said and was told it is I’m. Mkaka even confessed that non of the presiding officers said the figures were altered. He was even asked that apart from sankhani school, where else were there issues with Mr Chakweras votes and he failed to explain. Even asking to withdraw. You can fool people who are not listening koma enafe tikumvetsera. Learn to say the truth. That said best wishes to everyone

  17. If there is a rerun DPP will lose coz of the UTM/MCP coalition. And it will be Chakwera on the ballot coz of his MPs but the better president would have been Chilima.

  18. The message from Mkaka is that they had all the hope that the would rule Malawi bay all means kkkkk

  19. This secretary general is very emotional. Mcp replace him before he causes a lot of mess. Phuma too much. He behaves as college student.

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