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BDP Calls for Rerun in Ngami Wards |
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Procedure Overruled Merit in Protests. The Executive Secretary of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), Dr Batlang Comma Serema, says 70 primary elections appeals were dismissed on procedural grounds last week and the merits of the cases were not even considered if the protests were not routed through the right channels.
 Serema confirmed that two wards in the Ngami constituency and one in Maun West would go for a re-run because the results were challenged in according to Party regulations and procedures.
He stressed that members were conversant with the procedures of lodging protests.
The Vice Chairperson of the Northwest region, Mr. Alfred Ebineng, said they had completed adjudication over the protests lodged and they had written letters to the concerned parties I forming them of their findings. The region had received complaints from Xangwa, Tsau, Kareng, Boseja/Kubung and Shakawe. Ebineng said the appeals were in respect of Council wards only; they had nothing to do with parliamentary elections.
The Gazette was informed that there would be a recount in Sehitwa where one of the parliamentary candidates lost with a margin of three votes. Winning parliamentary candidate, Mr. Jacob Nkate, had protested Kareng and Xangwa results alleging massive election fraud and other irregularities. The losing candidate had appealed against his results citing many factors such as the omission of names from voters’ rolls and election fraud, but his appeal was also thrown out on procedural grounds.
Some BDP members expressed disappointment with the way the protests were handled. They accused the committee which dealt with the matter of being “too legalistic on political matters”. They believed that merit in some of the appeals overweighed procedure and accused the Appeals Committee of handling the protests “like a court of law”, adding that the whole process could turn the BDP primary elections into a sham”.
Five parliamentary candidates and many council candidates had lodged protests. Some expressed disappointment that the issue was rushed to the media before they were officially informed of the Committee’s verdicts.
However Serema was confident that the appeals were handled well and said the BDP was readying itself for the 2009 general elections.
BY AUBREY LUTE
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