IEC, UDC case: A possible game changer

Ketlogetswe of the Francistown High Court had granted the UDC its wish to observe the registration exercise PIC MORERI SEJAKGOMO
Ketlogetswe of the Francistown High Court had granted the UDC its wish to observe the registration exercise PIC MORERI SEJAKGOMO

The ongoing legal altercation between the coalition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) and the body that supervises the polls, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), might provide a requisite test to the credibility and independence of the latter. Mmegi Staffer RYDER GABATHUSE observes

From some quarters, Botswana’s elections have been hailed as free and not necessarily fair. To many, the elections registration case is indeed a clash of principles as the UDC claims to have experience from the 2019 General Election, which they allege prompted them to closely guard the General Election processes commencing with the registration exercise.

Led by Advocate Duma Boko, the UDC, a coalition of parties that include the Botswana National Front (BNF), the Botswana Peoples Party (BPP), the Alliance for Progressives (AP) and the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF), have vowed to leave no stone unturned in their endeavour to fight what it calls systematic ‘rigging’ of the national polls.

Editor's Comment
Inspect the voters' roll!

The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...

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