Another failed petition! Judges Gaitree Jugessur-Manna and Iqbal Maghooa on Wednesday rejected the election petition filed by Adrien Duval. They ruled that the defeated PMSD and Morisian Alliance candidate could not establish the allegations of irregularities in the counting of the ballots. Adrien Duval is one of the defeated candidates in constituency no.17 (Curepipe/Midlands).
“I’m relieved it’s over,” says Obeegadoo
The government’s No. 2, who is one of the co-defendants in the case, was in court this morning. He said he was relieved that the Supreme Court rejected Adrien Duval’s election petition. Steven Obeegadoo recalled that all election petitions have failed so far. “I am relieved that this case is over. This confirms that my election and that of Kenny Dhunoo were regular,” said Steven Obeegadoo. For him, this petition is an unnecessary distraction.
Adrien Duval: “It’s a bad judgment”
The defeated candidate in #17 does not agree with the Supreme Court’s ruling. The election petition of Adrien Duval, remember, was rejected this morning. The principal concerned says that “it is a bad judgment”. He says that he and his lawyers will study the judgment “point by point” before deciding what to do. An appeal cannot be ruled out. Although it will take a long time.
This Supreme Court decision will help restore confidence in our electoral process
The following is a statement from the Office of the Electoral Commissioner following the ruling:
We have taken note of today’s ruling by the Supreme Court in the election petition challenging the results of the Curepipe/Midlands constituency in the 2019 general election.
Through this judgment, the Supreme Court confirms the position of the Office of the Electoral Commissioner. We have always maintained that the electoral process was conducted according to the established rules and that it was not marred by fraud.
The judgment of the Supreme Court is reasoned in detail. The court analyzed all the facts and testimony presented by the various parties. After studying them, the court came to the conclusion that none of the 13 grounds invoked by the plaintiff to request a recount of the votes were justified and admissible.
This ruling also confirms, once again, that there is no proven link between the “computer rooms” and the entirely manual process of counting, verification and recapitulation of votes.
The Electoral Commissioner’s Office welcomes this decision by the Supreme Court and hopes that this ruling will help restore confidence in our electoral process, which has been the subject of many unfair accusations and malicious innuendos since the 2019 legislative elections.
