Botswana Electoral Turmoil Deepens as Voter Registration Postponed Again
The standoff underlines the challenges facing Botswana on its path to a free and fair election.
GABORONE, Botswana - Botswana's road to its 2024 general election has hit another bump, as the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) postponed the national voter registration exercise indefinitely due to an ongoing legal battle with the opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) party, writes Keneilwe Seitheko.
The voter registration was originally set to begin on November 1, but was pushed back to November 13 after the UDC, represented by Advocate Duma Boko, took the IEC to court seeking to deploy observers at polling stations during the registration process.
"Observing the process from the beginning is crucial for the party's role in inspecting the voters' roll post-exercise," Boko argued before the Francistown High Court, emphasizing the UDC's right to observe.
In contrast, the IEC's Attorney, Advocate Oitsile Rammidi, cited Section 4 of the Electoral Act, permitting only IEC authorized officials at registration centers.
"The UDC's claims of electoral irregularities are unsupported allegations," Rammidi stated, dismissing their application as non-urgent.
In a November 10 ruling, High Court Judge Justice Gaolapelwe Ketlogetswe sided with Boko and the UDC and directed the IEC, represented by Rammidi, to allow UDC observers, prompting the electoral body to suspend the exercise altogether pending a more comprehensive legal resolution.
The IEC contends political parties lack the right to deploy observers and record details during the voter registration process.
The UDC maintains observers are crucial to inspecting the voters' roll and ensuring transparency.
With the substantive court hearing still ahead, the indefinite suspension of voter registration deals a blow to election preparations and raises tensions between the ruling party and opposition ahead of the 2024 vote.
The standoff underlines the challenges facing Botswana on its path to a free and fair election.