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News and Information
BDP seeks Gaborone Central re-count
| November 5, 2004 |
05 November, 2004
GABORONE - The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has lodged a complaint for the re-count of the Gaborone Central parliamentary ballot papers after it lost to the opposition Botswana Congress Party (BCP) in the October 30 general election.
According to the BDP deputy executive secretary Fidelis Molao, there were over 100 ballot papers that could not be accounted for. The party therefore, would want the discrepancy to be corrected by a re-count.
He told BOPA that they did not suspect any vote rigging, but felt an error had been committed by Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) returning officers.
He said they were surprised to learn that they had scored 2 901, adding that when they examined the scores of other parties and the figures on the sheet, the figures did not tally.
Molao further said there should have been a balance of 3 002, a number he said, could be the correct figure for his party. Molao also said they wwere consulting with party lawyers to determine the way forward, but said the minimum requirement was a re-count.
Efforts to speak to BDP nominee Margaret Nasha, who lost to BCP's Dumelang Saleshando with a margin of 91 votes, failed. Saleshando polled 2 992 while Nasha managed 2 901 and Kanthleen Letshabo of Botswana National Front (BNF) got 1917 votes.
Votes were counted several times and Saleshando emerged victorious in the final count.
Molao said they asked for a re-count to remove any doubts but were denied the re-count by returning officers and on those grounds, they believed they have good reasons to be optimistic should the matter be taken to court.
Meanwhile, BCP youthful parliamentarian Saleshando said he had not received any official complaint from the BDP but only heard about it through the media.
However, he said he would not agree with the re-count because Dr Nasha did not request for the final re-count when the results were immediately announced. He said what he might agree on was a re-election because some people might have tempered with the boxes.
"There is no one who knows what could have happened to the boxes by now," he added.
BCP managed to secure only one seat from the 50 constituencies where it filled some parliamentary candidates. BDP has won 44 of the 57 constituencies contested during the ninth general election.
BNF captured 12 and BCP one. Nasha is one of the three long serving Cabinet ministers who were defeated in the weekend general election.
The other two casualties are Boometswe Mokgothu, who was the Minister of Mineral, Energy and Water Affairs and MP for Letlhakeng East and Local Government Minister Michael Tshipinare, the former MP for Ngwaketse West.
BOPA |
Source: BBCNEWS |
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