Electoral Act changes coming - DK assures

RYDER GABATHUSE
Staff Writer | Friday November 30, 2007 00:00

Speaking to Mmegi in an interview yesterday, Kwelagobe, who is also the MP for Molepolole South, said since the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) had consulted stakeholders over the issue, the ball is now in government's court.

'The government is processing the bill now with a view that it passes through all the possible stages. This will be done early next year with the bill published and put before Parliament,' he said.

He would not say which of the sections of the Electoral Act in particular would be amended. 'As I have said the bill is before government.

I might say the IEC has presented this and that proposal only to realise that, that is not exactly what the government prefers for amendment as well,' Kwelagobe said.

In the past, opposition parties and some civic organisations have been agitating for state funding of all political parties, and change of the electoral system from the first-past-the post system to proportional representation (PR), among others.

Opposition politicians have always advocated for the levelling of the playing field.

Justice, Defence and Security Minister Phandu Skelemani, whose cabinet portfolio initially encompassed the IEC until the cabinet reshuffle of January 19, supported Kwelagobe's view.

'Recommendations forwarded to the government include increase of polling stations, polling booths and a review of polling hours, amongst other things,' he said.

Skelemani indicated that the proposed changes, which are still with the cabinet, would be forwarded to Parliament and probably come up with changes so the amended Electoral Act could become effective before the 2009 general election.

Meanwhile, acting IEC secretary Martha Sayed has explained that the recommended amendments handed over to the government 'is the result of long consultation processes'. She said that the proposed amendments followed evaluation workshops immediately after the 2004 general election, performance evaluation exercise, feedback from election observer missions and various stakeholders' workshops.

'We also held a workshop with MPs so that they appreciate our work before it was actually taken to the government for action,' she said.

Although she could not say exactly how the recommendations for amendment have been framed off the cuff, she remembered some of them.

She said stakeholders have duly recommended that there should be a specific cut-off time for the continuous registration process so that it could pave way for other pertinent processes.

'We have noted a need that the IEC registration process for elections should stop at a particular time so that it enables the commission and other stakeholders to verify the electoral registers on time and before issuance of the writ of elections.' She explained that this amendment was very important in that if the cut-off point is not established by law, it could result in a number of registered voters being disenfranchised just because the registers where they appear were not verified on time and hence such people might not qualify to vote.

'We still have the 1999 experience in mind where it happened that people who appeared on some of the registers had their registration unverified until the writ of elections was issued and thus endangering their qualification to vote until President Festus Mogae declared a state of emergency to cover them.'

Sayed also indicated that stakeholders have stressed a need to curb voter trafficking and hence the law has to be clear on the issue to prevent the problem that has dogged all the elections. There has been a recommendation to amend the law so that it curbs any ambiguities around the issue.

'Once the bill amending the current Electoral Act is out, we will take it to the people so that they appreciate it. But, for some of the amendments that affect the Constitution we would have to wait a while.'

Sayed was hopeful that at least by next February, there would be some progress on the issue._