Francistown: Justice Gaolapelwe Ketlogetswe has ordered the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to allow the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) to observe and monitor the national election registration process. The case arose following a dispute between the UDC and IEC over the former’s right to have observers, known as ‘Madibela-Tlhopho’, present at registration centres.
The UDC had lodged its application a few days before the scheduled start of the voter registration process on November 1, 2023. The coalition’s president, Advocate Duma Boko, alleged malpractices in the conduct of elections by the IEC, including collusion with the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) and the Directorate on Security and Intelligence (DIS). The UDC made specific demands, such as allowing its registration clerks to observe and record voter particulars during the registration process.
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