Umbrella divided over symbol

Some members of the party's central committee informed Mmegi confidentially that in  their last meeting last year, they had resolved that the BNF symbol be used in the general elections if Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) takes long to approve the UDC one because of pending court cases. But this matter has not been communicated to other opposition party partners in the UDC, Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMC) and Botswana Peoples Party (BPP). Moreover, the UDC late last year decided that pending BNF court cases, the UDC would register a plain umbrella symbol without the parties' emblems.

But BNF leadership and membership is not comfortable with the proposal, which is still to be officially communicated to the parties' structures.  If the party central committee is divided or does not agree on the symbol, a special congress may be called to give direction to the way forward. This is because the committee had no powers to overturn decisions made by congress, as it is the supreme body.