Boko’s fear of rigging :: Mmegi Online

Opposition leader, Duma Boko, faces a number of challenges in his bid to become the country’s next president. He now enters the 2024 General Election cycle still sceptical of the electoral process and fearful of the alleged massive rigging by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) in the previous polls. This week, during a media brief, a visibly distraught Boko continued his insistence that he was cheated by a systemic voter fraud. Mmegi Staffer MOMPATI TLHANKANE follows the narrative that Boko has been painting for some time

Boko has always remained adamant in his belief that the 2019 General Election was rigged by the BDP. In January 2020 the Court of Appeal (CoA) dismissed with costs 14 UDC election petitions. The petitions were dismissed citing a lack of jurisdiction. The UDC had petitioned the court and contested the outcome of the elections citing “irregularities in some of the constituencies”. Before the CoA judgment, the petitions were dismissed by the High Court a day before Christmas Day in 2019. Boko’s stolen election claims were discredited by judges in election petitions that failed to overturn the election result.

‘IEC e tla a re golega’Boko once again this week pre-empted a potential loss at next year’s General Election with warnings of fraud at the hands of the IEC. He has been talking about the IEC without pause for months. Boko, who lost his parliamentary seat to BDP’s Annah Mokgethi in 2019, says he has lost confidence in the ability of the IEC to conduct credible and fair elections.

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