08 Oct 2023

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) will engage 64 registration clerks in Boteti West and 58 in Boteti East during the national voter registration slated for November 1 to 30.

Principal Elections Officer, Ms Mercy Gaosekwe told  the Party Liaison Committee meeting in Letlhakane recently that the 2023 demarcation report, indicated that Boteti had 122 polling stations with Boteti East having 64 while Boteti West had 58.

Elections officer, Ms Doreen Marakalala, explained that for one to register for the general elections they should produce a valid national identity card.

Section 67 subsection three of the Constitution indicates that a person shall register where she/he resides and if one has more than one residence in a constituency, one would choose the principal residence, she said.

Ms Marakalala explained that there were two types of registration, the general voter registration and supplementary voter registration.

Voters’ rolls, she said, were made available for the public to inspect so that those with objections could register them.

She stated that after dissolution of Parliament, IEC would prepare an amalgamated roll.

Section 25 subsection eight of the Electoral Act bars transfer after a vacancy had occurred in a constituency or polling district to which a voter wished to transfer, said Ms Marakalala.

She further informed the gathering that Section 29 of the Electoral Act stated that no duplicate voter’s registration card would be issued on any day fixed for polling.

Commenting, Botswana Congress Party representative Mr Israel Lelesamang asked why public officers would be used as registration clerks for 2023 general voter registration and also wanted to know if Letlhakane residents would be engaged in the exercise.

He also asked whether IEC could over rule decisions made by Parliament.

In response, Ms Gaosekwe said in the past elections, there were some irregularities as there were people who had registration cards but were not on the voters’ roll.

She said IEC had taken the decision to engage public officers as they would be accountable for any anomalies that could arise.

She said an advertisement for registration officers was a standard one, open to any Motswana. Ends