Mmegi

Growing demands for electoral reforms

Opposition parties, including the ruling UDC during its days in the opposition trenches, have long cried out for sweeping electoral reforms.PIC.KENNEDY RAMOKONE
Opposition parties, including the ruling UDC during its days in the opposition trenches, have long cried out for sweeping electoral reforms.PIC.KENNEDY RAMOKONE

FRANCISTOWN: People from various backgrounds and organisations have called on the new Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) government to adopt some electoral reforms to enhance the country's democracy.

The demands were made at a recent Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) 2024 General Elections Evaluation Meeting in Francistown. The Principal Elections Officer of the IEC in Francistown, Itumeleng Gabaake, told the participants that the purpose of the meeting was to gather input from various stakeholders on how to enhance voting in Botswana.

During the stakeholders meeting, Karel Ludick, chairperson of the New Somerset Society, called on the powers that be to consider introducing electronic voting (e-voting). E-voting is whereby voters can vote from their home, in another country, or at a kiosk in a polling station provided that they had earlier registered to vote.

Editor's Comment
Ruling party should tread carefully on cadre deployment

But on the particularly sensitive question of cadre deployment, the BNF must tread very carefully.The issue deserves robust debate, not ideological enthusiasm. Recent public comments from the BNF leadership are reassuring: the party has said that government positions should be based on merit and competence rather than party membership, and that it does not have a specific cadre-deployment policy.That principle should remain firmly at the centre...

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