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Judge Kenyatta Nyirenda of the High Court on Friday, May 30, 2014 made a landmark ruling in which the result was that Mec was forced to release the results of the May elections which it had been holding to for so long.
With injunctions, directives and irregularities noted, Mec had been forced to withhold the results until last night when the courts did set it free.
Judge Kenyatta Nyirenda made three rulings on the issue.
When Nyirenda made his first ruling on whether the injunctions that were obtained by president of the New Labour Party (NLP), Friday Jumbe and Blantyre city south parliamentarian elect Allan Ngumuya should be vacated. The injunctions had been restraining Mec to go for a recounting.
After those injunctions were lifted, smiles could be seen on the MCP legal team and opposition party officials who saw the ruling punishing the DPP that had been against the recounting.
Nyirenda further breathed some hope into the lives of the opposition party supporters and officials when he declared that Mec had the power to recount the votes even before releasing the results as log as it discovered that there were anomalies.
When he made the ruling, there was sadness that flowed on the face of the DPP sympathisers in the court room whereas those of the opposition parties was bright with smiles.
However, just when the opposition supporters were to start jubiliating that the ruling had gone in their favour and the judge had slapped the DPP, Judge Nyirenda pulled out the joker that turned tables.
He refused to grant Mec an extension and therefore indicated that if the body willed to do a recount then it should within a little less than two hours which was impossible by all factors.
Finally, it was the DPP team that smiled all the way to the tally center as they sang ‘Wakwiya ndi mfiti’.
MCP spokesperson Jessie Kabwila, feeling cheated by the ruling, had indicated that they would appeal. However, the party has retracted on that or it might be that Kabwila had said it in a rush of anger.
