IDEA fails to deliver election report

EPHRAIM KEORENG
Staff Writer | Friday March 12, 2010 00:00

In an interview with Mmegi, Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) spokesman, Mpho Maifala said the organisation was initially supposed to submit the report last month during the visit of IDEA's secretary general, Vidar Helgesen.

In a media brief here, Helgesen told journalists that the audit report focuses on reviewing the legal and strategic document and target set by the Independent Electoral Commission. It is also expected to put the spotlight on the engagement of IEC staff and external stakeholders to assess their views on the IEC's readiness to preside over the elections. While IEC also announced at the media brief that the report would be available in a few weeks, this has not been the case.

Enquiries by Mmegi on the issue have revealed that IDEA has requested another extension to finish and deliver the work.

Maifala said that IDEA is working with two consultants; one a local academic, who is a member of the University of Botswana's Democracy Research Project, whilst the other is from a London based consultancy, Electoral Reform International Services. The IDEA, a donor organisation, supports sustainable democracy worldwide by providing comparative knowledge, assistance in democratic reform, influencing policies and politics. The organisation is working on the Botswana audit report on a pro bono basis, whilst the duo of the London based Electoral Reform International Services and the local consultant (of Democracy Research Project) are being paid cash. The British High Commission in Botswana, Maifala has revealed, is sponsoring the whole project-performance audit report.

'The International IDEA is providing its expert knowledge on elections. But I think the reason why they have not been able to deliver this at the set time (February) is that they are spread out in the world, away from each other.

One is in Botswana whilst others are in Europe and this makes it a little challenging to liaise and work on the project timeously,' he said.

He however expressed optimism that they would have the report in the next two weeks, 'whereupon we will give it to the IEC board to read and approve, after which it will be made a public document.'