UDC parley candidates propose total merger
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Friday August 21, 2020 15:20
The candidates made the proposal recently at Ave Maria Pastoral Centre where they met to discuss the so called Floor-Crossing Bill and election petition legal costs amongst others.
The UDC affiliates are Botswana National Front (BNF), Botswana Congress Party (BCP) and Botswana Peoples Party (BPP).
Some members felt that the only way to take the coalition to an even higher level was to form one party.
“The members want the parties to consult structures so that they could get their views on the matter. Concerned members are of the view that parties should even sell the idea at their party congress after COVID-19 so that they get proper mandate from them. They said campaigns are expensive and therefore the parties need to be united to raise funds. The members said they cannot take over government from the ruling party, Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) if they are still divided,” the source said. The members, according to the source, also proposed to current Members of Parliament (MPs) to push for Electoral Act review because it has loopholes, which the ruling party could still use to win elections in future.
However, UDC spokesperson Moeti Mohwasa said the National Executive Committee (NEC) would await ideas from the constituency structures where MPs are ex-officio members.
“Our MPs and councillors are important in pushing the UDC agenda, but you should appreciate that they are not a structure. As the UDC, we will continue to consult and share ideas with them. We are however not in a position to disclose what we discussed with them. It remains internal,” Mohwasa said.
On other issues, Mmegi has learnt that the NEC has requested the members to keep on contributing towards election petition bill. “Yes. Members and the public at large have been asked to assist. It has been slow but we hope it will pick up. The petitioners sacrificed for the course and they should be assisted,” Mohwasa said.