Parties vie for compromise
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday February 19, 2024 06:00
While the parties are still holding primary elections, the majority of candidates are being chosen through negotiation and consensus-building, rather than by winning a vote in the primary election. It has become evident that all three major parties in the country, the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) and the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) prefer compromise to primaries. For example, the BCP has been using a combination of primary elections and a compromise process to choose candidates for the upcoming polls.
The compromise process involves negotiating and reaching a consensus, rather than holding an election to determine the winner. Some candidates are chosen through a vote in the primary elections, while others are chosen through a process of negotiation. The compromise candidates are part of the primary process but are not chosen through a vote. Similarly, the UDC has adopted the same model as it has started to unveil some of the candidates. It is out in the open that the party has agreed upon some candidates without holding primaries, while other candidates will be chosen in the primaries in March, 2024. Furthermore, UDC’s four affiliates, the Botswana National Front (BNF), the Botswana People’s Party (BPP), the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) and the Alliance for Progressives (AP) are all using similar approaches.
On the ruling party, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) leadership recently at Maun advised party members that they should have credible candidates. According to a source, the party leadership advised members on the importance of having a compromise candidate. “Even if the party leadership was not forcing those who wanted to contest to compromise, they had given them time to think about it. The leadership believes that compromise helps the party to be united and easier to win the area. Unlike when it goes for primary elections as it divides the members, which end up affecting their results,” the source said. However, the BNF secretary-general Ketlhalefile Motshegwa said the problem people make is to think that compromise is not a democratic process. In support of his argument, he said: “The compromise process involves people. There is no way a party could decide on behalf of its members. It is still a process of the primaries as party structures are engaged or they are the ones tabling that decision to the party leadership. After vetting, the concerned parties are also given time to talk amongst themselves. Therefore, they could agree on their own before the dates for primaries are set.” He said then the party leadership whether at the branch or cell level will then engage them to check if indeed they have agreed to that, and make them sign the forms.
Motshegwa said the same process could be initiated by any structure to those intending to contest to get their view but it is not imposed on members. The BNF secretary-general also said any process that engages people to come up with decisions or a decision is democratic. He said if it fails, then the party goes to the primaries for members to make a final decision on a representative they want. He said both democratic processes are key for a party to make a final determination when members have expressed interest in contesting for elections.
The BCP spokesperson, Mpho Pheko, on the other hand believes that the process is not democratic as it denies members the ability to choose the person or a representative they want. “The only power that members have, is through the vote. As the BCP, we believe in holding primary elections but at times it is the members who believe that they have a consensus candidate who is credible to represent them. Women, youth and people living with disability pay half of the money that is required and at times members believe that they should not be challenged. Yes, primaries were not held in some areas as members had a compromise candidate,” she said. She said members do look into different issues when agreeing on a candidate on what they want to achieve. Pheko said the party cannot force members to go for primaries when they had agreed through their structures that they have agreed on one candidate.
On the other hand, the BDP secretary-general, Kavis Kario said: ”A compromise is not there in the rules and regulations of the party. However, the members can engage each other and there is nothing wrong with that as a party which believes in peace and unity. Members must be able to introspect if they are capable or not. Even other members must not have an attitude when others want them to discuss or negotiate in that regard.” He said as a party, they encourage members to talk amongst themselves before dates of primary elections are set as it had happened in some areas where members agreed on a candidate. Kario said open engagement is democratic since those are decisions made by members. Furthermore, he said there is no need to hold primaries when members could agree amongst themselves. Compromise has lately become common amongst political parties as they avoid internal fights and unnecessary splits due to the primary elections.