It’s vetting time at the BDP
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday March 18, 2024 06:00
Therefore, it is crunch time for aspiring candidates as they wait to see whether they will make it through. In just two weeks, they will find out if they are one step closer to representing the party in the General Election. But passing the vetting process is just the first hurdle.
The members still have to win the party's primary elections. If they succeed, they will earn the right to represent the party in the national polls. However, it is a long and competitive road to the elections, and only the strongest candidates will make it to the finishing line.
The branch committees as per the constitutional obligation, will in the next two weeks start engaging all the applicants for the council and parliamentary positions to vet them for Bulela Ditswe. Even though the branch committees do not make final decisions, they make their recommendations when they reject or accept a candidate to the party central committee (CC). Then, the CC is the one, which makes a final decision on the matter of who will contest. However, the BDP secretary-general (SG) Kavis Kario, confirmed that the CC on Sunday had given branch committees a go-ahead to start the vetting process as soon as they receive candidates' applications. “As soon as we make it official to party members to apply to branches, the process will begin. Before the end of this week, members will have official communication on the matter.
Those who have expressed interest will then go pay at the party office or deposit money. They will attach that receipt with the application letter to the branch committee. Normally, vetting takes a week,” the SG said in an interview on Tuesday. He said the branch committee would then submit all applications and their recommendations to the CC, which will either agree or disagree with the decision they made. The SG said the branch committees assess the behaviour of a candidate if she or he has been active in the party amongst other things.
He said applications for those who expressed interest should not take more than two weeks looking at the time. The BDP SG said all those who have applied for expression of interest should know how to conduct themselves during and after elections for them to avoid being disqualified from the race. He said he believes that party members are studying the code and conduct for Bulela-Ditswe that one is supposed to adhere to.
Furthermore, according to the party constitution, during the process of vetting, the committee responsible shall consider the prospective candidates' integrity, personality, commitment to the party, ability to represent the party and the public if elected and all other qualifications under the electoral laws of Botswana. It also says vetting of each candidate shall include an examination of proof of payment of the primary election application fee and the decision of the CC shall be final. It further points out that all interested persons, whose participation is likely to give rise to a conflict of interest, shall rescue themselves from the vetting body during the consideration of the relevant ward and or constituency candidate. Meanwhile, as part of trying to cut down the numbers of those who have expressed interest and also to check commitments of members who want to contest, the DP has doubled the prices for primary elections.
For example, a councillor candidate who used to pay P2500 will now pay P5000 to be cleared to contest the party primaries. A potential Member of Parliament (MP) who used to pay P5, 000 for primary elections will now pop out P10, 000. Additionally, Kario said the date for the primaries would be announced after the whole process of vetting has been completed.