- BCP claims BDP plans to have EVMs in 2024 are at an advanced stage
- BCP vows to use the courts to protect “the will of the people”
SESUPO RANTSIMAKO
The Botswana Congress Party (BCP) has vowed to stop alleged plans of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) to introduce Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) for the next general elections in 2024.
To that end, the BCP has issued a statement to raise the alarm against what is says are ruling BDP’s plans to have EVMs used in the next elections after the plans failed in 2019.
Prone to manipulation
According the BCP statement, the BDP plans for use of EVMs are at an advanced stage. It says it is concerned that with EVMs, the electronic codes and capacity to rig would be in the hands of the BDP.
“It is common cause that EVMs are known to be hackable and prone to manipulation,” the statement, signed by BCP spokesperson, Dr Mpho Pheko states: “The BCP is determined to do everything in our power to stop the BDP from rigging elections.
“Every government must be founded on the free will of the people. We will therefore use all lawful means to ensure that the will of the people is not frustrated.”
Groundwork
According to Dr Pheko, the BCP is reliably informed that the BDP has done a lot of groundwork to force use of EVMs in 2024 through.
“The idea behind bringing EVMs is to ensure that the BDP has total control over the electoral process, including all the codes and ability to hack and manipulate even the Omang Database to deliver an ill-gotten victory,” she says in the statement.
In the lead to 2019 general elections, efforts by the government to introduce EVMs failed after the BCP successfully challenged the matter in court.
Reached for comment, the Chief Whip of the BDP, Liakat Kablay, professed ignorance of the matter. “As MPs of the BDP, we have never met to discuss introduction of EVMs,” he said.
“What I know is that introduction of EVMs was stopped ahead of the 2019 elections after Batswana raised objections.”