Africa-Press – Botswana. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has promised to bring technology into the 2024 general elections.
In an interview recently, IEC secretary, Mr Jefferson Siamisang, said the commission was mooting the idea of incorporating technology into some of its processes.
The IEC chief, who assumed duty in July last year, said the plans were reflected in the Electoral Amendment Bill of 2023, which had been gazetted and was currently in circulation.
He said the bill, which would soon be tabled in Parliament, sought to introduce automated registration, alongside manual registration, adding that should the bill be passed into law, IEC would then come up with a technology that would work best for the country.
Mr Siamisang highlighted that in some countries, people registered for elections in the comfort of their homes, whilst others registered at polling stations using gadgets, adding that the country’s model would be decided at the appropriate time.
He, however, revealed that the country would not be introducing the electronic voting machine (EVM). He stressed that elections were sensitive, hence the introduction of such technology needed adequate consultation and time.
The IEC boss said not only did the current law not make provision for such, but it was even late.
“…, we are not going to use EVM in the 2024 elections,” he said, adding that if there were plans to use it, the law, election processes, consultations and budget could be moving in that direction.
Meanwhile, Mr Siamisang promised more stakeholder engagement, an open door policy and an all-inclusive tenure during his reign as the commission’s principal.
He said stakeholder engagement was crucial for the organisation to live up to its mandate, which was to deliver credible, free and fair elections.
He said achieving the mandate was premised on the adherence to the legal framework, which guided it.
Mr Siamisang also promised that all election stakeholders were welcome, adding ‘we encourage everyone to come forward for anything that they need clarity on’.
He said some stakeholders, especially politicians, had been taking advantage of the dispensation, adding that the IEC would soon roll out an all-encompassing stakeholder engagement plan.
Mr Siamisang said he had already addressed some council meetings around the country and the feedback was positive.
Asked what would be different during his tenure, he said not much would be different from his predecessors, who oversaw the previous elections as they were guided by the same legislation.
“The only difference is that today’s voter is not the same as the yesteryear voter,” he said.
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