Constitutional Court ruling on running mates risks legal quagmire, lawyer warnsA recent Constitutional Court decision holding that running mates are not candidates has pushed the court itself into an awkward legal position, constitutional lawyer Dr Joseph Chirwa has warned, cautioning that the ruling could create a constitutional crisis unless revisited. Chirwa said the ruling had, in effect, put the Constitutional Court itself on trial. He urged the Constitutional Court to revisit its ruling before it creates a broader constitutional crisis, outlining what he described as an unworkable contradiction at the heart of the current position. “By implication, whether or not the Constitution expressly refers to running mates as candidates, a running mate is a candidate for the election of vice president.” He further argued that consistency demands presidential candidates and running mates be treated identically under the law.