The institution that runs and administers the entire electoral process should be seen to be fair, goes the refrain. Like all other institutions that subscribe to democracy, we believe that this is not too much to ask. We are disturbed by reports that no less than the much respected High Court judge, John Mosojane, has complained about the interference of Office of the President in the daily operations of the IEC. The judge talks about how Permanent Secretary to the President, Eric Molale, frustrates the efforts of the IEC in its daily operations. As expected, opposition political parties have since renewed their call for the independence of the IEC. We too are aware of the latent dangers that plague the current systems at the IEC. The worst that could happen is for the public and political parties to lose faith in the institution that administers elections. We want our elections to be protected. On the flip side, we would appreciate it if the very political parties that cast aspersions upon the credibility of the country's elections system looked inward and critiqued their own operations. Chances are that if they went through that exercise, they would realise that their own elections are conducted under an environment that cannot be said to be fair and transparent. Recently, the BDP announced that their MPs in four Gaborone constituencies will not be challenged in party primaries. This is okay in so far as it does not kill inner party democracy.
On the other side of the fence, the BCP has been dousing fires in Selebi-Phikwe East over the conduct of the party primaries. It is the people's democratic right to complain, but what is even more important is for the party to ensure that the process is beyond reproach. Perhaps the biggest electoral sham happens at the opposition Botswana National Front (BNF). About two weeks ago, the entire electoral board resigned citing interference from the central committee. According to the board, the committee had usurped the administration of party elections to the extent that they could decide and announce new deadlines without informing the electoral board. The central committee is accused of even abrogating to itself the power to register new members on the voters' roll without the knowledge of the board. To any sane person, these allegations, if true, amount to a transgression worse than the Kenyan fiasco.
