In saving the leader...
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Saturday March 1, 2014 19:13
The development however is alleged to be efforts by opposition parties to save their presidents in the marginal constituencies by encouraging their followers to register where the party leaders are.
Some observers see this as a negative development that will weaken other opposition candidates in other areas. But it seems the objective of trying to save party presidents might take first precedence over the parties’ success in other constituencies.
The affluent constituency is where leaders of Botswana Congress Party (BCP) Dumelang Saleshando and Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) Gomolemo Motswaledi are contesting. The motivation is said to be that a loss by either president might spell doom for their party.
In the first round of voter registration last October, the Independent Electoral Committee (IEC) had registered 6,311 votes in the Gaborone Central constituency and during the first five days of supplementary registration it registered 1,513.
According to chief election officer Dintle Rapoo, the number will grow since supplementary registration closes on Sunday.
Professor of Politics at the University of Botswana (UB) Zibani Maudeni said the problem is pitting leaders of opposition parties against each other.
“We need both of them in Parliament. It is possible for a party to invest lot of resources in one constituency. Voter trafficking is possible because party members would want their president to be voted in,” he said.
Last year, Saleshando requested his party members to stop focusing on Gaborone Central alone since it would not make sense for them to win one constituency and lose others. “We need all constituencies not Gaborone Central alone. Of course we must intensify campaigns in Gaborone Central and even other constituencies,” he said.
BMD secretary general Wynter Mmolotsi said they had intensified campaigns in all constituencies. He said they are not only focusing on Gaborone Central.
“It is important for our president who is also Umbrella for Democracy (UDC) secretary general to win. The truth is every constituency means a lot to UDC,” he said.