Tag Archives: Weasley Mwafulirwa

Malawi High Court adjourns parliamentary, local government elections case to later date

Members of Parliament

BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)—The High court in Lilongwe has today adjourned to a later date a case in which a group calling itself Concerned Citizens wants the court to also nullify 2019’s Local Government and Parliamentary elections.

According to High Court Judge Ruth Chinangwa, the hearing of the matter has been put on hold pending the Supreme Court’s ruling on the application by MEC against the order by the Constitutional Court for a fresh presidential election.

The court has also said it will hear the case 14 days after the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Speaking to journalists after the adjournment, lawyer representing the concerned citizens, Weasley Mwafulirwa argued that the elections were done concurrently therefore the country should have fresh tripartite elections.

Although former Members of Parliament have applied to join the case, some sitting parliamentarians are against the application.

Lawyer representing the sitting MPs Titus Mvalo said his clients are challenging the claimant’s petition saying it lacks basis.

A panel of five high court judges, sitting as Constitutional Court, nullified the May 2019 presidential elections due to widespread irregularities.

The court ruling surprised some quarters who argued that irregularities also affected the parliamentary and local government elections hence the need for fresh tripartite elections.

However, the judges it was the presidential election case that was brought before the court not the other two elections.