Lilongwe,
MALAWI
One of Malawi’s Non-Governmental Organizations, Centre for Democracy and
Economic Development Initiatives (CDEDI), has penned the High Court to
determine whether President Peter Mutharika has acted in contempt of court or
not.
This
follows Tuesday’s development where President Mutharika rejected four electoral
reforms bills including the Parliamentary and Presidential Elections amendment
bill (no.2) which set 19 May as date for 2020 fresh elections and provided for
a run-off election.
In
addition to that, Mutharika also refused to fire MEC chairperson Jane Ansah and
other MEC commissioners describing as laughable the position that the MEC
commissioners lacked competency to manage the 2019 presidential elections.
CDEDI
has wrote a letter to the High Court which has been signed by acting director
Sylvester Namiwa saying the organisation believes Mutharika’s decision not to
assent to the bills, is only applicable in the jungle where only the strong
survive not in a modern day democracy nation like Malawi.
According
to the letter, CDEDI believes that Mutharika’s action has the high potential to
affect negatively on the poor and the less privileged claiming his refusal can
degenerate the country into a lawlessness state.
“As
we are writing this letter, Mutharika has sent back the bills to Parliament and
has also refused to act on PAC’s recommendations to fire the commissioners.
This is in spite the fact that Malawians followed for themselves the
proceedings on radio and television and agreed that they are indeed incompetent
to preside over free, fair and credible elections in Malawi.
“It
is CDEDI’s considered view that by sending back the bills to Parliament and by
not firing the commissioners Mutharika has failed to comply with a constitutional
court order, we therefore seek to request the court to hold him in contempt of
court order,” reads part of the letter.
However,
speaking when addressing the press on Tuesday, Mutharika’s Spokesperson Mgeme
Kalilani, cast out arguments that the President is in contempt of court saying
the Malawi leader was only exercising his powers.
Concurring
with Kalilani, political analyst Wonderful Mkhutche has told Malawi24 that
there is no contempt of court claiming the laws do allow president Mutharika to
send back bills to Parliament as he has done.
“What
he has done is in line with laws of Malawi. It is just that he overlooked the
political consequences on the other hand.” Said Mkhutche. - Africa
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