The High Court in Lilongwe has ordered the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) to avoid removing election documents from its website or destroying hard copies of the documents.
The Lilongwe High Court Registrar issued the order on Monday.
MEC is second respondent in the case in which MCP and UTM are challenging results of the May 21 presidential elections.
MCP lawyers applied to the court to restrain MEC from removing from its website documents pertaining to the Malawi elections and the court has granted the request.
“It is hereby ordered that documents pertaining to the 21st May 2019 presidential elections including result sheets for the presidential elections for all the 5002 polling centres, constituency tally centres, the aggregate results and hard copy documents as well as the electronic data and documents uploaded onto the 2nd respondent’s website as at 29th May 2019 be preserved by the 2nd respondent.
“All routine destruction or discarding of any such documents or data, whether pursuant to formal policies of the 2nd respondent or otherwise, shall be suspended until the final determination of this matter or further court order,” the court order reads.
MCP leader Lazarus Chakwera and UTM president Saulos Chilima are challenging results of the election saying there were irregularities that affected the outcome.
Chilima particularly accused MEC chairperson Jane Ansah of telling polling staff to make President Peter Mutharika emerged the winner.
