Africa-Press – Botswana. While appealing to Lepokole/Borotsi voters to throng the polls in large numbers, secretary of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) calls for calm, peace and order during the December 9 by-election.
The IEC chief, Mr Jefferson Siamisang said it was incumbent upon the electorate to live and encourage adherence to the Electoral Act to avoid finding themselves facing the wrath of the law.
Speaking during a kgotla meeting in Lepokole on Monday, where he confirmed that the latter would go into the 2024 general elections as a stand-alone ward (independent from Borotsi) and also confirmed the by-election slated for December 9, Mr Siamisang reminded voters of the rules as enshrined in the Electoral Act.
“We do not want to be like some countries where some voters lose their lives even before election results are announced owing to agitation and lack of respect for the rule of law,” said the IEC secretary, who praised the country for adherence to the rule of law.
“We have had some by-elections, in some areas, where the situation went out of hand with some people wanting to take charge of elections. Some even illegally manned the gates to counting centres and searched police vehicles,” Mr Siamisang said.
Consequent to the above-mentioned illegal acts, the IEC secretary called on the Lepokole/Borotsi electorate to keep abreast with the Electoral Act.
While aware of some people calling for counting of ballots at the polling stations, Mr Siamisang clarified that until the law changes, IEC would continue ferrying ballot boxes to counting centers.
Borotsi Primary School will be the counting centre for the December 9 by-election.
Although the IEC has not been quick with cracking the whip on some offenders of the Electoral Act, Mr Siamisang warned that breaching the 1000m rule, a distance that those who are not part of the counting entourage should stay away from the counting centre, would attract P7 500 fine or five-year prison term.
Alive to complaints of some party polling and counting agents claiming the IEC vehicles transporting ballot boxes usually sped off, leaving the agents behind, Mr Siamisang promised that everyone would be taken on board from the polling station to the counting centre.
On other related matters, Mr Siamisang informed Lepokole residents that they would be having three polling stations when they finally become a full fledged ward in 2024.
The stations will be Lepokole Primary School, Mashambe and the village kgotla.
He also reminded voters who had lost their registration cards to approach IEC staff for copies and also encouraged them to ensure that their Omang cards were valid before going to the polls.
In 2019 there were 2 507 registered voters in Borotsi while Lepokole had 505.
The seat fell vacant on September 14 when the then area councillor, Mr Motseothata Mafoko resigned.
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