Post elections workshops begin
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Wednesday February 4, 2015 10:43
The recommendations might result in the amendment of the Electoral Act. Already returning officers are holding similar workshops around the country. “Workshops by returning officers are ongoing in different regions,” said IEC spokesperson Osupile Maroba.
He noted that returning officers in Gaborone started their workshops on January 29 while those in Francistown and surrounding areas started yesterday. “In those workshop, we expect them to say what challenges they faced during the general election and suggest what IEC should do to improve,” he said.
He said the February 20th meeting for political party representatives, media and civil society would have a look at some of the challenges met and recommendations made by returning officers and the IEC.
“They will add their experiences and then make final recommendations, ” he said. Maroba explained that the IEC’s 25 regional offices had already had their own workshop.
Maroba said that the IEC would immediately implement those recommendations that would not need amendment of the Electoral Act. The IEC spokesperson said their aim was to improve their services during elections and such workshops went a long way in ensuring that happened.
For example, he said, following the 2009 elections the IEC made recommendations that consideration must be made to timeously review the list of personnel who should be allowed to vote earlier to avoid any doubts as to who should be included in that list.
Further, it recommended that Batswana should be implored to exercise botho and allow the old and infirm to vote without delay. This was after they found out that the old and infirm took too long in the long queue, sometimes at great risk to their health and lives,” he said.
Maroba said the other issue of concern, which they wanted addressed was that of long queues at polling stations in cities, towns and big villages.
“The IEC addressed it by having help desks to check if indeed your name was on the voters roll,” he said, adding that all these drastically reduced the amount of time taken by the voter to cast his or her ballot.