BDP accused of vote rigging

Daniel Chida
UDC marches against vote rigging

Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has been accused of dividing trade union bodies and politicising the public service by employing only its card carrying members in senior positions.

This was said by Kgalagadi South Parliamentary candidate for Umbrella for Democratic Change, Micus Chimbombi, when delivering a message to the UDC masses who took part in the Saturday demonstration for Democracy and Fair Elections in Gaborone.

Chimbombi who was in the company of UDC President, Duma Boko, party Vice President, Dumelang Saleshando and other UDC parliamentary election losers said that the coalition of opposition parties and the large trade unions had garnered the UDC 17 of the 57 parliament seats in 2014 and sent BDP on a panic mode. “In a panic mode the BDP divided the unions and politicised the public sector by employing only its card carrying members in senior positions.”

- Advertisement -

He said that government also weakened, silenced and suppressed private media.

He mentioned that a plan to rig election began with the concerted attempt to impose Electronic Voting Machine ahead of the elections. “As if that was not enough the BDP secretly established a coalition with IEC and DIS to distort the election registration using money, multiple voting and vote buying.”

He added that unemployed youth, tertiary students, the poor and lumpen drunkards in rural areas and towns were given money, food hampers and alcohol on the election day to vote BDP. “Many of the voters carried several voter registration cards and voted twice and thrice which is illegal and fraudulent. This is how and why democracy in Botswana and the country’s peace is under threat.”

Chimbombi said that equally dreadful was the death of a free, fair and credible elections that Botswana has been known for.

He mentioned that as UDC they were staging the demonstrations and subsequently wants to mobilise the nation to stand up in defence of justice and democracy.

He added that they were demanding free, fair and credible elections, amendment of DIS Act, review of the Constitution, independence of democratic institutions towards functional democracy.

- Advertisement -
Leave a comment