The ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has clashed with opposition Botswana National Front (BNF) on the postponement of voter registration process by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
The BNF, which expressed grave concern over the postponement of the voter registration for the 2024 general election, accused the BDP of having played a part in the postponement.
According to the BNF Secretary General, Ketlhalefile Motshegwa this is concerning especially when reasons thereof have been withheld and kept secret, raising questions of transparency at IEC.
However, the IEC is currently touring the country to address councils on delimitation of wards following the release of the delimitation report.
The addresses are meant to educate and equip councillors with information on the recent delimitation of wards so that they can assist the IEC on sensitising the public about the process and how the wards have been realigned.
Motshegwa said suspicions are that because BDP is not prepared in terms of their own primary elections, the IEC wants to accommodate them in the process of voter registration.
“This also points out that IEC is weak administratively, and therefore unprepared.
“This comes at a time when the IEC has lost credibility and integrity to run free, fair elections as they have turned themselves into a sub-committee of BDP or a department in the Office of the President.
“Their mission is to preserve the continuation of the failing and corrupt BDP Government,” Motshegwa claimed.
The BNF secretary general stated that it is common cause that BDP rigged 2019 general election, and have put in place plans to rig 2024 generals inter alia as “we are told through ghost voters issued with O Mang cards,
intelligence and security officers who will be given multiple O Mang cards, online registration which will be manipulated”.
Motshegwa argued that these actions must be worrying every citizen, as they have potential to stir uprising in the country when the people get fed up with the system and its anti-democratic institutions.
The BDP has on the other hand called on the public to ignore the misinformation from the BNF. BDP Secretary General Kavis Kario said his party has no means nor interest in interfering with the scheduling of IEC programmes and any suggestion to the contrary is the “juvenile notoriety” that BNF is famed for.
He said the BDP is a firm proponent of operational independence of the IEC and has not, nor will ever seek to interfere with the operations of the IEC.
“We implore the BNF to focus on getting their burning house in order, to stop quarrelling at funerals as seen at the weekend and ready themselves for the 2024 elections.
“Further, the BDP as a known adherent to its internal democratic practices and process will in due course announce a date for its primary elections and other consultative processes for selecting our candidate for the 2024 elections,” Kario said in response to the accusations by the BNF.
The BNF, which expressed grave concern over the postponement of the voter registration for the 2024 general election, accused the BDP of having played a part in the postponement.
According to the BNF Secretary General, Ketlhalefile Motshegwa this is concerning especially when reasons thereof have been withheld and kept secret, raising questions of transparency at IEC.
However, the IEC is currently touring the country to address councils on delimitation of wards following the release of the delimitation report.
The addresses are meant to educate and equip councillors with information on the recent delimitation of wards so that they can assist the IEC on sensitising the public about the process and how the wards have been realigned.
Motshegwa said suspicions are that because BDP is not prepared in terms of their own primary elections, the IEC wants to accommodate them in the process of voter registration.
“This also points out that IEC is weak administratively, and therefore unprepared.
“This comes at a time when the IEC has lost credibility and integrity to run free, fair elections as they have turned themselves into a sub-committee of BDP or a department in the Office of the President.
“Their mission is to preserve the continuation of the failing and corrupt BDP Government,” Motshegwa claimed.
The BNF secretary general stated that it is common cause that BDP rigged 2019 general election, and have put in place plans to rig 2024 generals inter alia as “we are told through ghost voters issued with O Mang cards,
intelligence and security officers who will be given multiple O Mang cards, online registration which will be manipulated”.
Motshegwa argued that these actions must be worrying every citizen, as they have potential to stir uprising in the country when the people get fed up with the system and its anti-democratic institutions.
The BDP has on the other hand called on the public to ignore the misinformation from the BNF. BDP Secretary General Kavis Kario said his party has no means nor interest in interfering with the scheduling of IEC programmes and any suggestion to the contrary is the “juvenile notoriety” that BNF is famed for.
He said the BDP is a firm proponent of operational independence of the IEC and has not, nor will ever seek to interfere with the operations of the IEC.
“We implore the BNF to focus on getting their burning house in order, to stop quarrelling at funerals as seen at the weekend and ready themselves for the 2024 elections.
“Further, the BDP as a known adherent to its internal democratic practices and process will in due course announce a date for its primary elections and other consultative processes for selecting our candidate for the 2024 elections,” Kario said in response to the accusations by the BNF.
