No secret ballot at BDP first presidential poll election

BDP members are meeting at at retreat next week
BDP members are meeting at at retreat next week

While many Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) legislators have not come out to show whom they support for the party’s presidency, their votes will be no secret. Former minister of Local Government and Rural Development Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi is challenging the incumbent, Mokgweetsi Masisi for the presidency.

Mmegi has learnt that the extra ordinary congress billed for March will show the 14 regions had elected their preferred party president openly. Even though the BDP constitution Clauses 29.1 and 29.3.1 state, “When the party is in power, the president of the party shall be elected by secret ballot at a National Congress of the party called by the central committee during every general election year”, chairperson of Communication and International Relations, Kagelelo Kentse said the issue of the secret ballot could only apply when there is a tally on how the regions had voted.

“This is the first time for the party’s sitting president to be challenged. The party has never had presidential election because the members did not challenge the president,” Kentse said.

Editor's Comment
Khama, Masisi should rise above personal differences

Hurt as he may have been, former president Ian Khama, Sir Seretse’s senior son who was given an opportunity to speak on behalf of the Seretse family, couldn’t mince his words as he took advantage to shred his successor Mokgweetsi Masisi to pieces.He, however, did not clearly mention names but he referred to Masisi as the leader of a political party that was founded amongst others by his father.He would also address him as the former State...

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