31 Jul 2022

Newly appointed Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) secretary Mr Jeff Siamisang has emphasised the importance of upholding peace and tranquillity during elections.

Such values, he said, had shaped Botswana’s electoral system to be the envy of many countries which continued to benchmark and learn from the IEC.

“A team from South Sudan will be visiting the country on Tuesday to benchmark our electoral acts, system and all instruments governing elections,” Mr Siamisang said during a special Party Liaison Committee (PLC) meeting in Francistown Friday.

He said elections were the foundation of any government as they provided a platform for reinforcement.

Mr Siamisang advised polling officers to perform effectively and deliver to the best of their abilities while urging party representatives to advise their followers to respect all election protocols and other people despite party affiliation differences.

He said the voice of voters should be expressed freely by allowing them to cast their votes without any infringement.

Most confrontations during elections arose when party representatives were predicting the outcome of elections, he stated.

Regarding PLC, he said it was constituted in 2000 as an ad-hoc committee or a consultative forum manned by party representatives and other organisations.

In response, Alliance for Progressive regional coordinator Ms Theresa Mmolawa said it would make a difference if PLC was a fully recognised structure.

Botswana Congress Party  Francistown East constituency chairperson Mr Kenneth Messe wanted to know who was responsible for employing commission personnel.

Botswana Democratic Party member Mr Golwelwang Mogomela expressed appreciation for the  IEC secretary’s visit.

Botswana National Front member Mr Meshack Mbulayi requested that election ballots be counted at polling stations to reduce suspicions of tampering  on the way to counting centres. ENDS