The AP and the UDC are expected to work together at the 2024 General Election. The two parties have entered into talks with a view to work together at the next general election.
The decision by the AP to join the fight against 'rigging' was taken at the party’s recent policy forum in Palapye according to the secretary-general (SG), Dr Phenyo Butale.
Butale said the AP strongly believes that the country’s electoral process is weak and compromised. “The central committee has been mandated (by the Policy Forum) together with those we will be working with at the general election to come up with very robust strategies of avoiding vote rigging at the next general election.
We want to make sure that we restore the integrity of the country’s electoral process. The Policy Forum reiterated that it has lost confidence in the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and the country’s electoral processes,” Butale told Mmegi this week.
The UDC recently launched a group named Madibela Tlhopho which it says will be tasked with countering vote 'rigging'. UDC president Duma Boko, supervises the group. The group was recently accused of infringing on the Electoral Act and intimidating journalists during a parliamentary by-election in the Serowe-West constituency. The police also had a clash with Madibela Tlhopho.
They accused the group of hooliganism and disorderly behaviour. On the contrary, the UDC said the group is made up of law-abiding individuals whose role is to preach messages against vote 'rigging'. Butale added that the party leadership has also been given the mandate to assertively look for funds and resources which will be devoted to ensuring that the process of countering vote rigging is effective. “The idea is to ensure that right from the registration process we have polling agents who will be observing the whole procedure.
This will enable us and our partners to efficiently guard against vote 'rigging',” he said. The opposition has always maintained that the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has sustained its over 50 years in power through rigging elections. In January 2020 the Court of Appeal (CoA) dismissed with costs 14 UDC election petitions.
The UDC was challenging the outcomes of the 2019 general elections. The court dismissed the petitions citing lack of jurisdiction. Butale told Mmegi that the Policy Forum also emphasised that talks with the UDC should be finalised as soon possible to enable the two entities to timely start campaigns for the next general election.
Furthermore, he said the forum came up with very strong mechanisms to avoid opportunism during primary elections. “The Policy Forum resolved that candidates for the primaries should have been members of the party in good standing for a period of two years unless the central committee gives a waiver. The waiver will be under very exceptional circumstances,” he said.
