The Monitor (Botswana)

Growth in Botswana’s democracy – Political analyst

- Tsaone Basimanebo­tlhe

The legal clash between the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) and the Independen­t Electoral Commission (IEC) is viewed by political analyst Lesole Machacha as a positive sign of democratic growth.

Instead of seeing it as a crisis, Machacha suggests that Batswana are growing in their understand­ing of their rights in the political process.

Justice Gaolapelwe Ketlogetsw­e’s ruling on Friday at the Francistow­n High Court, favoured the UDC in their demand to have members observe the election registrati­on processes.

“The informatio­n that the UDC seeks to record during the registrati­on process is neither secret nor confidenti­al. In any event, it is the kind that will ultimately be made public, and the UDC is expected to object to its efficacy,” Ketlogetsw­e said.

“How then can the UDC effectivel­y do so without having captured the raw data for itself with which to compare the voters’ roll prepared by the IEC?” He emphasised the transparen­cy aspect.

“The IEC seems to me to be putting itself unfortunat­ely in a position where it may be regarded as being afraid of transparen­cy. It expresses unfounded fears of alleged intimidati­on if political parties were to participat­e in the voter registrati­on process,” the judge said.

The IEC responded by halting the registrati­on process initially set for November 13, 2023. Regarding the issue of the Electoral Commission’s decision to postpone voter registrati­on, Machacha expressed concern that the IEC might be losing credibilit­y by resisting party observatio­n during registrati­on. The political analyst stressed the importance of transparen­cy and accountabi­lity in maintainin­g public trust.

Machacha argued that the UDC’s request is reasonable, citing examples from other countries where political parties observe the registrati­on process.

He highlighte­d that the UDC would gain access to the voters’ roll during the general election, making their request sensible. The analyst cautioned against any perception of the IEC being influenced by political parties, emphasisin­g the need for the electoral body to remain impartial to uphold Botswana’s electoral integrity.

While suggesting that observers during registrati­on wouldn’t interfere with the process, Machacha recommende­d the involvemen­t of other government department­s to ensure profession­alism.

However, IEC secretary Jeff Siamisang defended their stance in a press release, stating that political parties don’t have the right to deploy agents during the registrati­on exercise.

“The suspension of voters’ registrati­on is based on the commission’s belief and conviction that in law, political parties do not have a right to deploy their agents at polling stations during registrati­on exercise to observe and monitor the process, as well as recording voters’ particular­s and serial numbers of registrati­on books used,” he stated.

The suspension of voter registrati­on awaits resolution in court, scheduled for November 15, 2023. Siamisang expressed regret for any inconvenie­nce and assured that measures would be in place for the registrati­on to commence post-dispute resolution.

The ongoing legal dispute has impacted the voter registrati­on process ahead of the general elections anticipate­d to take place by October next year.

 ?? ?? Justice Gaolapelwe Ketlogetsw­e’s ruling on Friday favoured the
UDC in their demand to have their members observe the election registrati­on processes
Justice Gaolapelwe Ketlogetsw­e’s ruling on Friday favoured the UDC in their demand to have their members observe the election registrati­on processes

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