Botswana: slow start to voting - Elections '99 - Sustainable Democracy

GABORONE, 16 October 1999
Voting started on a low ebb despite last frenetic efforts by leading political parties to whip up interest amongst the electorate through long, flag be-draped motorcades and rallies that kept the capital alive most of friday night.

Several hundreds queued up before polling stations opened at 6.30hrs this morning but found the process of voting sluggish as electoral officers laboured to explain how to use the ballot paper-a new thing in elections
here.

Botswana has previously used discs carrying the contesting partys' colors. Voters would merely pick up the disc bearing the colours of the party of their choice and enclose it an envelope, officials said here.

An independent Electoral Commission, like the ballot system, were introduced after political parties lobbied for change. The switch from the old to the new order has left large numbers of people in dire need of re-education
prior to voting.

Electoral officers in some constituencies were spending a minimum of ten minutes on each voter to ensure they understood the usage of the ballot paper.

"We used to use discs. This is the first time we are using ballots. Its also the first time we are having an independent electoral commission", said Lillian Letshabo, presiding Officer at the Gaborone West Constituency.

"We are checking the registration number, the identity card number; polling agents also have their role to verify everything. Then the polling officer issues ballot paper but some voters take long to understand", she said.

By 11.00hrs, of the 477 registered at the Tlhabologo school polling station, only 75 had voted. The pattern was the same in Gaborone South where out of 1700 registered voters less than 300 had cast ballots by 1045hrs.

A major disappointment for political parties is the lack of enthusiasm amongs the youth. The voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 to encourage the younger generation participate in elections but reports showed that few of them turned up by midday.

"We expected more young people. We do not know why they are not turning up. Maybe its because they do not care", said a presiding officer who preferred
anonymity.

The trend was different in areas of the Gaborone area with more erudite citizens. The University of Botswana's two polling stations both recorded high voting figures by 1130hrs.

Two hundred(200) voters had cast ballots in one polling station out of a registered total of 700. One hundred and twenty(120) had voted in the second polling station out of 734 registered-comparatively high rates. Presiding
officers said they did not have to spend much time explaining to voters at the University polling centres as most of them were literate.

Officials were optimistic that more people would turn up as the day progressed.Out of an estimated 900,000 eligible voters, 460,000 registered in an extended registration exercise. Political commentators say this is a
low figure in a country whose population is variously estimated at 1.3 million to 1.5 million.

"We found people waiting here when we came at 05.00hrs", said Gertrude Ngqutwana, presiding officer at Naledi an outlying southern centre. She expressed hope that the situation would improve.

Seamogano Mosanako, a journalist working for the newly established Botswana Television, which has yet to come on line, says however that people have a long history of distinterest in electoral issues.

"People here do not attend rallies no matter how much the parties try. You find that the majority are children who come to listen and dance to the music", she explained.

Some political analysts attribute this attitude to the dominance of one party, the Botswana Democratic Party(BDP) which has won all polls since independence; people do not see any need to vote when they know the outcome, said one commentator.

President Festus Mogae led his BDP followers to an opposition-held constituency in Naledi on the outskirts of Gaborone after party die-hards drove around the city in a long convoy, singing, chanting and waving bright
red placards to drum up more support.

Opposition convoys of the Botswana National Front(BNF), the Botswana Congress Party(BCP) and the Botswana Alliance Movement(BAM) criss-crossed with the ruling party's but no violence or threats were issued-a
demonstration of the country's long history of political harmony.

Whilst Mogae held his rally of upto 2000 people in Naledi, he was briefly interrupted by BAM supporters who drove around his crowd of supporters to friendly taunts, and calm and collected Police reaction.

"We have no desire of abandoning our responsibility, we have a mission to develop this country. Iam urging you to reinstate this government. This is what I have come to tell you", Mogae told the crowd as he paraded his aspiring members of parliament.

The BDP which held 27 seats in the last parliament against the BCP's 11 and the BNF's 2, is tipped to maintain its dominance in Botswana politics
particularly with a divided opposition predicted to split votes.

BAM and the less conspicuous Marx, Lenin, Engels and Stalin(MELS) party are being considered rank outsiders in the contest for the 40-directly elective national assembly seats. Parliament elects four extra members by special vote along with the President who has ex-officio status.

The first results are expected early tomorrow with the final announcement on monday. The hourly reporting of results is normally done by the national radio station.

Diamond-rich Botswana is one of Africa's oldest multiparty democracies, having held competitive elections since independence in 1966 . (SARDC)