MEC Under Fire as Court Suspends Linthembwe Councillor Poll
Published on September 15, 2025 at 8:53 AM by Edgar Naitha
The High Court has ordered the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) to suspend the councillor election scheduled for September 16 in Linthembwe Ward, Dowa Ngala Constituency.
The ruling follows a legal challenge by aspiring candidate Brian Khumbeni, who was disqualified by the MEC after being initially accepted.
According to court documents, Khumbeni, 35, had paid the nomination fee under the “young candidates” category. However, the MEC later rejected his application, citing that only individuals under the age of 35 are eligible for this fee category.
Khumbeni’s lawyer, Dan Sato, argued that the MEC failed to notify his client of the issue before removing his name from the final list of candidates.
In her ruling, Justice Charlotte Malonda found that the MEC acted improperly by omitting due communication with Khumbeni prior to publishing the final list.
She stated that the commission had infringed on Khumbeni’s rights and ordered a by-election to be held in the ward after the September 16 election.
