l Fresh elections offer the most democratic way to resolve conflicts, but Pilane’s group cannot be forced to participate and shows no interest in doing so. What will the other members of Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) do if (when) Pilane’s group refuses to go along? It is possible - but far from certain - that, after a refusal of fresh elections by Pilane’s group, the other members of UDC will decide to recognise Ndaba’s group because they are at least willing to hold fresh elections. Even that decision won’t give Ndaba’s legal claim to the Botswana Movement for Demcracy (BMD) name, symbol, etc. So, at best, this is a partial solution.
l Go to court - This is the only way to have a chance of keeping the BMD name and symbol in the absence of fresh elections. BMD members have a very intense identification with their party and, understandably, many want to fight to keep the name, colours, and symbol. But going to court is costly and not an obvious win. Winning rights to the BMD name and symbol does not reunite the party. The political logic of opposition cooperation means that the UDC will still need to figure out how to deal with both groups, regardless of which group holds legal rights to the BMD name and symbol. So, this is again no more than a partial solution.
