Court rejects MEC’s request to extend ballot inspection exercise

The Constitutional Court has thrown out an application by Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) asking the court to extend the presidential ballot inspection exercise.

The five-judge panel is hearing the Malawi election case in which UTM leader Saulos Chilima and Malawi Congress Party president Lazarus Chakwera  are first and second petitioners respectively while MEC and President Peter Mutharika are second and first respondents respectively.

A ruling on the MEC’s application dated July 4, 2019 reads: “The court finds the application ill-conceived on the grounds that the disclosures as ordered by the court were sought by the 2nd petitioner and not the 2nd respondent.

“In any event the material, the subject of the order of disclosure, are documents emanating from or authored by the 2nd respondent itself. Therefore, the application is dismissed.”

The inspection exercise ended Sunday but the electoral body filed the application arguing that all documents were not assessed.

MEC lawyer Tamando Chokotho said extending the period for inspecting the ballot papers would have benefited all parties involved in the case.

Chakwera and Chilima are challenging the outcome of the May 21 presidential election in which MEC declared President Peter Mutharika as the winner.

The two opposition leaders argue that the result of the presidential election were affected by irregularities which include the use of tippex to doctor results.