UDC, BCP contemplate legal recourse against Khama

President Ian Khama has rejected the request by opposition parties not to sign the Electoral Amendment Bill into law.

In the last sitting of Parliament, legislators approved the amendments of the Electoral Amendment Bill. However, there was much controversy, particularly over the introduction of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Opposition parties, Botswana Congress Party (BCP) and Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) recently petitioned Khama not to sign the Bill into law.

The parties’ argument is that stakeholders, among them electorates, have not been consulted about the EVMs even though they are the ones who would be more affected. This week opposition parties expressed disappointment over the decision taken by the president. The parties have threatened to take the legal route to challenge the decision.

BCP Publicity and Information Secretary, Dithapelo Keorapetse said that they deem the new Act unconstitutional. He also condemned the BDP government for not having any regard for opposition parties and civil society. Keorapetse said that they would not be coerced into using the electronic machine during elections because experts had revealed that the machine could be manipulated.

UDC Head of Communications Moeti Mohwasa said President Ian Khama and his government have dealt the country’s democracy a brutal blow, adding that they were considering approaching the court. He added that BCP and UDC would continue with nationwide demonstrations over the EVMs, unemployment and the poor quality of education.

During the recent demonstration in Gaborone, UDC leader Duma Boko warned that should it be found that there are possibilities of cheating using the electronic voting machine, they would ensure that there are no elections. He also said that the current government should desist from testing Batswana’s patience because one day the country would not be as peaceful as it is today, and once the situation changes, the BDP government would be to blame.