- We had a tight registration and verification process – Kentse
- Spokesman says primaries should not divide the party
LETLHOGILE MPUANG
The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) says it has addressed everything to prevent any possibility of infiltration by the opposition ahead of this weekend’s primary elections, Domkrag spokesman, Kagelelo Kentse, has said.
Recent reports have claimed that some members of opposition parties have registered to participate in the BDP primaries with the intention of voting for weak candidates for defeat in the general elections later this year.
According to Kentse, the party has implemented measures to prevent such occurrences. “We trust that our current process would have addressed such issues,” Kentse told The Botswana Gazette this week.
Two-layered verification
“We had very tight registration and verification processes. We had a two-layered verification process of the membership database by our branches.”
He added that voter rolls were also inspected and signed off by respective branches. “So we believe that the membership is owned by the branches because they have verified them.”
Kentse urged party members to avoid any divisions resulting from the primaries and to focus on the best interests of the BDP. “This is not a do-or-die but is just an internal process to select candidates for the general elections,” he said.
Focused and determined
“We still have work to do after the primaries on the party’s campaign trail for the next three months. We therefore need to stay focused and determined.”
Meanwhile, sources say the BDP will not entertain any primary election results appeals. It is said that a part of the reason the primaries delayed its primaries was to avoid disgruntled primaries losers joining the opposition and harming its electoral prospects.
Said a source: “After the primaries, the main focus will be on campaigning for the general elections. With only three months to go, there will be no time for appeals.”