By Linda Kwanjana
The Registrar of the High Court has rejected applications in which the Democratic Progressive Party, (DPP) intended to sue the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) against using National Identity Cards in the coming 2025 general elections.
What the ruling means is that the use of National Identification cards will continue to be used as only weapons and means for identification during the forthcoming elections.
The office of the registrar has since rejected to issue the summons for DPP stating that allowing commencement of such a case would be an abuse of court processes.
In a ruling signed by Assistant Registrar Elijah Pachalo Daniels says DPP’s application has died at birth with the office of the registrar describing it as an Exhibit A of an intention to abuse court processes.
“The claimant clearly, does not have the capacity to sue on the issues they raised. Actions are a total abuse of our processes,” the letter says.
The letter also states that DPP has not supplied to the court the answers in the originating processes.
The court is also questioning the DPP if it is being denied its constitution right to vote.
“Can DPP even possess that right? Has DPP been deined any civil rights? Did DPP go to register as a voter somewhere where a zealous elections officer or whosoever it may be, returned them on the premises that they did not possess a national identity card?
The court has therefore highlighted that they do not have immediate answers.
