Botswana has lost its integrity in democratic credentials, including upholding of free, fair and credible general elections. The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) MPs must support this motion to help redeem their party’s integrity. The motion comes just after the release of the IEC National Stakeholders Evaluation Report for the 2019 General Elections. Honourable Justice Abednego B Tafa, the IEC Chairperson, describes the 2019 general elections as “highly charged and competitive political environment.”
The Report is concerned by the diminished electoral integrity of Botswana General Elections. The stakeholders included Civil Society, Academia, Media, Political Parties, Electoral Commission of Zambia, Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) and the Secretariat of the Commissions Forum of SADC (ECF-SADC). The report acknowledges that the 2019 general elections encountered multiple challenges including multiple entries on voter registers, widespread online interference on the electoral process, absence of legal framework to ensure accountability and transparency. The report listed 20 key recommendations for strengthening of the electoral processes towards enhancing their credibility. Vision 2036, on the other hand, observes: “Effective electoral management system and regular free, fair and credible election of leaders into office are important ingredients of a democratic system. All these are premised on an electoral system that is acceptable to the majority of the electorate. The electoral management system will offer fair, free and credible elections that ensure elected representatives are chosen in a manner consistent with the electorate’s aspirations and preferred voting system. Our electoral system will satisfy the ever evolving expectations of citizens. Our electoral management system will be anchored in an independent, efficient electoral management body.”
