The Francistown High Court will tomorrow hear a case in which the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) wants to observe the voters’ registration, a quest the Independence Electoral Commission (IEC) is against.
The opposition outfit has already won round one when the same court earlier this week issued a rule nisi calling the respondent ,being the IEC and other interested parties to show cause on November 7, 2023 why the UDC registration clerks should be interdicted and restrained from monitoring the national elections registration process.
Justice Gaolapelwe Ketlogetswe of the Francistown High Court ordered that the UDC, “to record the names and national identity card numbers of the people registering to vote and record the serial numbers of the people registering to vote, record the serial numbers of the registration booklets for each and every registration day at the opening and closing thereof.” Following the interim court order, the IEC moved swiftly to postpone the registration period, a clear indication that they don’t want the UDC's observers anywhere near the voters registration. The period was initially supposed to run from November 1 to 30, 2023. It has since been postponed to run from November 13 to December 8, 2023 to allow the court to make a final determination on the matter.
Speaking of a final court order, the IEC now has to show cause why UDC registration clerks should not monitor the registration. The registration postponement has compelled the court to hear the case earlier than November 7 since the matter is urgent.
