Election Petition Verdict
Peter Mutharika, the Malawian president, had emerged victorious a second time. His rivals Saluos and Lazarus, were not enthusiastic about this. As a result, the opposition reported that they had tainted the polls right when the counting process started. The opposition joined forces against Mutharika. His former deputy, who was then one of his oppositions Saluos, claimed president Mutharika’s administration is fraudulent hence his no saint as he steers it. Is there an Election petition verdict?
Following the complaint by the opposition, the court ordered the electoral commission from releasing the presidential results to the public. This because of allegations that the polls were utterly marred.
Saluos party demanded reelection, alleging that about votes in 10 constituencies were manipulated. Malawi’s supreme court ordered the electoral commission to release the results saying they were legit and fair.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, the Commission has thoroughly reviewed all the complaints that were lodged for the presidential election, and we declare the presidential elections to be free and fair, and these results are the true reflection of the will of the people of Malawi,” said Jane.
The Malawian citizens are, however, worried following the judge’s decision on the petition by Saluos. They are apprehensive about their business, schools, and their well-being.
Petition by opposition
Nonetheless, despite the dismission of the allegations by the high court Saluos was stringent and kept the fight on. He petitioned the law court claiming the elections were falsified. The opposition requested the court to invalidate the results following suspected manipulation. It was even clear as one of the polling officers was caught tampering with the results. He received patronage from Lazarus, who leads the United Transformation Movement. The later was another opposition party.
They had presided the court proceedings on the case over in the country’s capital for the last six months with the magistrates listening to dozens of witnesses. It has, however, been noted that a renowned businessman attempted to pay off the judges presiding the presidential case. The judges alarmed the chief justice who hasn’t reacted lightly to the matter.
Anxiety among Malawians
Following the anticipation of the judgment by the magistrates, the Malawians are worried. The citizens are precautious about the result as they have taken safety measures just in case. Boarding schools have been closed in the country because of predicted demonstrations. Companies have stated that on the day of the announcement, they would close. This is because they associated the riots with the destruction of property and death. However, Dola Siliya, the information minister requested the citizens to stay Tranquille as the situation was under control, and they guaranteed their safety.
Affirmed safety
The chief justice, Nyirenda, asked the anti-graft body to look into the matter. The anti-graft body alarmed its officials of the ongoing investigation. They informed the staff that none of them was to tolerate any intimidation from the villain. Besides, they provided the magistrates with immunity to prevent them from being baited or used as scapegoats. All these precautions were being taken to ensure justice prevailed. Hence with all these stringent measures, the citizens should remain calm as they await the ruling, which will be announced on the third of next month.
