The Malawi High Court on Friday rejected an application by five people who sought an injunction stopping the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) from using the National Identification card as the sole identification for voter registration.
The ruling means that the application by George Chipwayila and four others who sought an injunction from the Court restraining the Commission from only accepting the national ID from the National Registration Bureau (NRB) during voter registration has not been successful.
In his judgment Justice Mandala Mambulasa agreed with them that all eligible voters need to be allowed to do so considering that this opportunity comes once in every five years.
Mambulasa has however directed that the NRB should register and provide identity cards to all eligible voters to enable their participation in next year’s election.
MEC’s Director of Legal services David Matumika Banda expressed satisfaction with the High Court ruling.
“We’re happy; actually we’d have been surprised if this injunction was granted because the granting of the injunction would’ve gone against all the known principles of the granting or denying the granting of an injunction.
“We’re glad that the Court applied the rule perfectly and we’re happy with the outcome” he said
One of the claimants lawyers Felix Tambulansi hailed the direction provided by the Court.
“Actually we’re tremendously glad with the directions that the Court has given. So the court has directed that all people that do not have National identity cards, they can still go to the registration centres to register.
“So the National Registration Bureau will be at the centre together with MEC staff so they’d be registered there and then at all centres”
Records indicates the Bureau has beaten the target of 10.9 million people set by the electoral body and has managed to provide ID‘s to 12.5 million people.
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