20 Jul 2018

 

Faith-based sector has been identified as a major role player in ensuring a smooth election process.

Speaking during the faith sector post general elections review, principal elections officer, Mr Nyanga Nyanga said churches were critical stakeholders in the 2019 general elections.

He, therefore, applauded ministries and churches that allowed Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to use their structures as polling stations.

He said the use of church premises as polling stations and counting centres at no cost testified that churches appreciated the importance of elections as a national assignment.

Mr Nyanga added that elections went well in Francistown as testified by nonexistence of complaints.

He said the number of electorate went down in the 2019 elections in Francistown, observing that the average parliamentary elections voter turnout for the three Francistown constituencies stood at 79.3 per cent.

For local government elections, he said voter turnout for Francistown East polling district stood at 81.2 per cent, Francistown South at 81.4 per cent, while Francistown West stood at 77.3 per cent.

Mr Nyanga noted that there was need for a vigorous civic and voter education drive by all stakeholders, given a worrisome number of rejected votes, necessitating the need for a tailor-made training of electorate.

He said voter apathy, especially among the youth, was still a concern, and that of the registered voters per constituency, women registered in large numbers than men.

Elections officer, Ms Omphemetse Sigwele said people who normally complained about IEC to a point of calling for the dissolution of the commission after every election did not understand the role of IEC.

She said in 1997, following a national referendum, IEC was mandated to run general elections under Section 65(a) of Botswana Laws. She said the IEC secretary was appointed by State President under Section 66 of Botswana Constitution.

She said the mandate of IEC was to ensure that elections were conducted in a fair, free, proper and effective way.

She highlighted that elections did not take a month or two to prepare for, citing that the entire 5 years after every elections were not enough to prepare for the next polls as preparations included evaluation of the past elections, budgeting for the coming elections, setting electoral boundaries, among others. ENDS