Speaking to political parties, media and other stakeholders, the head of the SADC Electoral Observer Mission, Francisco Madeira said yesterday that they will determine how independent the judiciary is before and after elections. Madeira is the Mozambican Diplomatic Affairs Minister. He said his team has more than 40 observers from all SADC member states. He stated that so far observers from Zambia, Angola, Mozambique, Malawi, South Africa and Tanzania have arrived in the country. "We will support Batswana as they go through the electoral process. We will also be available at both district and local level to political parties and all stakeholders, including the media, local and international observers. We will observe political rallies and campaigns," he said.
He emphasised that in carrying out its mandate, his team will study Botswana's laws and regulations, especially those dealing with the elections. Madeira said they would like Batswana to emerge the winner in the election process.
SADC executive secretary, Dr Tomaz Salomao has said the organisation is encouraging Botswana to stay on the cause of democracy in the elections, as it has been the case in the past. "We came here to support electoral development," he said. He commended Botswana, like most SADC states for sticking to democratic principles and respecting its constitution for sustainable democracy and political tolerance. "We encourage Batswana to continue to demonstrate maturity by respecting the outcome of results," he said.
