Vuwa, Mhone case in Supreme Court today
The Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal will today start hearing an appeal by former Nkhata Bay Central legislator Ralph Mhone to suspend enforcement of a High Court judgement that confirmed Symon Vuwa Kaunda the winner of the parliamentary elections in the May 21 2019 Tripartite Elections.
However, Kaunda’s lawyer has said they will not attend the hearing.
The High Court dismissed Mhone’s petition and upheld Kaunda of the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as the winner.
Mhone is still protesting the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) declaration of Kaunda as winner, saying there were many irregularities which, if addressed, could see him emerge winner.
A court document on today’s hearing reads: “Let all parties concerned attend the Judge in chambers at Principal Registry on 14th day of January 2020 at 8:30 o’clock in the forenoon on hearing of an application on the part of the petitioner for an order suspending the enforcement of a judgement dated 16th September 2019 dismissing the petition and requiring the petitioner herein to pay costs until the determination of the appeal herein.”
Kaunda’s lawyer Leonard Mbulo said in an interview they will not attend the hearing because Mhone’s lawyers served him the court documents yesterday; hence, did not have time to respond or travel to Blantyre for the case.
The Northern Region witnessed a 21 percent retention rate of members of Parliament with only seven voted back into the august House from 33 constituencies.
Former governing People’s Party is the biggest loser, scooping just three seats from 14 in 2014 in the region. Independent candidates remain 10, DPP moved from six in 2014 to nine while Malawi Congress Party (MCP) won eight from two in 2014. New kid on the political bloc UTM Party has two seats and Alliance for Democracy (Aford) one.
