14 Mar 2018

Parliament has approved a P341.1 million  Independence Electoral Commission (IEC) budget proposal for 2018/19 financial year.

The budget was tabled by Assistant Minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Mr Thato Kwerepe on Monday.

He explained that an amount of P64 million , from the total budget had been allocated for the recurrent expenditure while P277.1 million had been allocated for development expenditure.

The assistant minister stated that P33.6 million from recurrent budget would be spent on salaries and allowances for the Commission, P4.8 million  for internal travelling and transport, and P3 million for external travelling and transport.

He added that P6.9 million had been budgeted for the general expenses and P5.6 million for voter registration.

Mr Kwerepe said development budget of P277.1 million would be spent on voter registration exercise, implementation of electronic voting machines, as well as completion of Tutume office construction.

He told Parliament that stakeholders had been sensitised about the implementation of electronic voting system. He said one of the recommendations from stakeholder sensitisation meetings about Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) had resulted with inclusion of voter verifiable paper audit trail. 

“The introduction of the voter verifiable paper audit trail will enable voters to verify their vote and therefore will enhance transparency in the electoral process and credibility of the system. This will go in strengthening our democracy,” said the assistant minister. 

Mr Kwerepe added that the Commission had experienced capacity challenges in its effort to do civic and voter education across the country. 

Debating the budget proposal, Francistown South MP, Mr Wynter Mmolotsi saaid he was converned that government was going ahead with the introduction of EVM despite what he called a wave of disapproval from some section of the population. 

According to him, the machines were not fraud proof. He therefore urged government to rescind the law introducing electronic voting in Botswana.

However, Bobonong MP, Mr Shaw Kgathi on the other hand, said amendments to the Electoral Act followed consultations between IEC and stakeholders. 

He therefore said it was wrong for members of the opposition bench to claim that government was forcing EVM on Batswana.  Mr Kgathi urged politicians to desist from interfering in the activities of IEC. 

“You are interfering in the work of IEC to match your taste. When they have found that this equipment will make the job simpler for them, why are you blocking them with court cases? Why do you interfere with their independence by going to court?” questioned the legislator.

Mr Kgathi added that thorough public education on all changes to the Electoral Act should be done as early as possible.

Selebi Phikwe West MP, Mr Dithapelo Keorapetse said that the trust by Batswana on IEC plummeted after the introduction of EVM. He said an Afro Barometer study showed that 53 per cent of Batswana were not satisfied by reasons for introducing EVM while 69 per cent said the IEC did not consult them. 

He further said EVM was not temper proof. 

“Netherlands banned EVMs because they lacked transparency. Ireland spent over 51 million pounds on EVMs and in less than three years they decided to rescind the law because EVM did not meet the basic demand of democracy,” he said. The legislator further said England and Italy also piloted EVMs, but later decided against introducing the machines.  

However, Takatokwane MP, Mr Ngaka Ngaka said the kind of EVM which government had settled for could not be manipulated easily.

He therefore said there was nothing wrong with the machine being used.

Ghanzi North MP, Mr Noah Salakae however said it was not proper for IEC to continue introducing electronic voting while some people were expressing misgivings about the initiative.

Gaborone Bonnington North MP, Advocate Duma Boko cautioned that introducing the EVM ‘against the wishes of people’ would lead to a democratic malfunction.

“A democratic malfunction occurs when the integrity of any electoral system becomes questionable. 

When it becomes a subject of debate and dispute, and when it becomes a potential area of strife and conflict,” he said.

He said people in his constituency had rejected the EVM. Ends