Voter apathy still a recipe for disaster

This is the same election which the ruling Botswana Democratic party (BDP) regarded as ‘free and fair’ while the opposition coalition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) was convinced the elections were ‘stolen’.

Presenting a chapter on governance, peace and security of the second Transitional National Development Plan (TNDP) in Parliament this week, Mmusi said a national Voter Apathy Study was conducted in the financial year 2021/2022 and some of its key findings include inadequate political and electoral education, detachment of elected representatives from constituents for most part of the five-year period and lack of trust and confidence in the electoral process. “In order to enhance democratic participation during NDP 11, Parliament introduced digital broadcasting of proceedings and the Botswana Speaks Programme.