Thursday, February 13, 2025

‘BDP plans to smoothen primaries’ – Tafa

The Chairperson of the Botswana Democratic Party Electoral Board, Parks Tafa, has warned aspiring candidates against defeating proper means of conducting fair and transparent primary elections.
Tafa said the party’s new office has CC TV surveillance mirrors ready to detect those who are bent on cheating and tampering with the voters roll and party membership cards in the office.
“Our new offices have detection mirrors and those intending to render our work difficult will be exposed,” Tafa said at a special Gaborone region meeting on Saturday.
Tafa briefed aspiring councilors and legislators that the voters roll and membership cards for far-flung areas in the North and West regions of the country are ready and already have been sent to their respective areas.
“We have decided to act on the same because these are areas we do not have much time to respond to their grievances in time before the primaries should need arises,” he said.
He added that Gaborone and other areas close by would be availed with their election documents in the next few weeks.
“Our office is working around the clock with selected members working day and night shifts.”
To avoid further cheating by the candidates, the voters roll and membership cards would be presented to constituency committees instead of giving them to one of the competing candidates; usually the incumbent councilor or Member of Parliament.
“This will avoid queries that they have sat on some of membership cards of some potential voters who they believe are not on their side,” Tafa said.
He added that constituency committees will call a general meeting upon receipt of the voters roll and membership cards for owners to receive them.
“These membership cards belong to the voters not the candidates,” he emphasized.
“Even if you have registered them, candidates should know the ballot is a secret and as such can not be guaranteed.”
Should the candidates not obey the rules, action would be taken against them.
Voluntary party members from Block B will be dispatched to Block A which is the North region to conduct primary elections and vice-verse.
“The aim is to conduct fair and transparent elections,” Tafa said, adding the national elections next year should come with positive results especially at the Gaborone Central constituency.
He said the primaries would be held either at the end of October or early November.
The BDP Gaborone Region called on aspiring candidates around the City for meeting to update them over the progress so far done over the voters roll and membership cards amongst other topics.
The candidates were also counseled by renowned counselor Loago Raditedu who advised both the winners and losers to respect each despite the outcome of the primaries.

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