01 Feb 2018

Tubu residents in the Ngami constituency have been encouraged to be prepared to register for the 2019 general elections once registration is open.

Addressing a kgotla meeting at the village on the status of the Electoral (Amendment) Bill, 2016, principal elections officer, Mr Oitsile Masole told residents that the registration period would start from September 3 to November 3.

As part of reforms, Mr Masole said for the 2019 general elections registration, there would be no supplementary registration as it had been cancelled. He added that registration should be done within the stipulated period.

“If you do not register during the set period, you will not be eligible to vote in the coming elections. There will only be one registration window whose timing and duration remains the prerogative of the commission,” he said.

Furthermore, Mr Masole noted that the registration period was much longer this time around because there would be no supplementary registration.

The principal elections officer also reminded Tubu residents to ensure that their Omang cards were valid before the elections, and that those whose national identity cards were about to expire should renew them.

He said other reforms include the introduction of the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) which would only replace the conventional voting from the point of issuance of the ballot paper to depositing it into the ballot box while other activities of the voting process would remain unchanged.

Mr Masole said the process of counting would be faster since votes would be counted electronically while spoilt ballots would be eliminated.

“The EVM will therefore improve the two key electoral processes of voting and counting,” he said.

He also said the machines would not require electricity to function as they would be battery powered, and that the battery was envisaged to last for more than 20 hours of continuous use.

The EVM is also expected to be reliable, user friendly, secure and meet Botswana’s adverse geographical conditions.

He said another reform was that of candidates deposits and fines that have been reviewed upwards. He said nomination fees for council candidates were raised from P100 to P1 000, while for MPs it was P5 000 from P500.

He added that deposits would not be refunded after a successfully nominated candidate has contested an election.

The purpose of the ongoing addresses by the IEC is to brief community leaders and residents in Ngami and Okavango constituencies on the status of the Electoral (Amendment) Bill, 2016 after it was passed by Parliament.

President Lt Gen. Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama has assented to the bill and signed it into law, something which Mr Masole said put the commission under obligation to implement the law to the best of its ability despite the apparent differences of opinions among some political leaders and Batswana in general. ENDS