Election observers have begun arriving in Botswana ahead of the country’s general elections set for October 30. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) officially launched its electoral observation mission on Tuesday, calling for peaceful elections.
The mission, led by Tanzania’s former Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda, joins other international observer groups from the Commonwealth and the African Union (AU). Pinda emphasized that the SADC mission aims to ensure democratic practices across the region.
“When observing elections, our first task is to assess the country’s preparedness, and we believe Botswana is ready. The next focus is ensuring that peace prevails throughout the election period,” Pinda said.
However, the SADC has faced criticism for declaring recent elections in Zimbabwe and Mozambique as free and fair despite reports of irregularities. Responding to this, SADC Executive Secretary Elias Magosi explained that the bloc’s election reports serve as non-binding recommendations.
“SADC operates without a punitive approach. We urge our member states to adhere to the guidelines, and we expect them to implement the recommendations,” Magosi stated. In cases of serious electoral violations, the matter may be brought before the SADC summit, where heads of state convene annually.
Only a few political parties attended the launch of the SADC mission in Botswana, with the opposition alleging potential election rigging. Phenyo Butale of the Alliance for Progressives, part of the opposition coalition Umbrella for Democratic Change, criticized the SADC’s previous handling of the Zimbabwe election report.
“We chose not to attend the launch because we have concerns about SADC’s impartiality. Their report on Zimbabwe acknowledged the election fell short of SADC standards but didn’t address the issues sufficiently,” Butale said.
Meanwhile, Botswana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Lemogang Kwape assured that observers would have full access to monitor the election freely. “Botswana is open. Observers are welcome to visit all corners of the country, interact with people, and conduct independent assessments,” Kwape said.
Observers from the Commonwealth and AU arrived last week to oversee advance voting for election workers, military personnel, and police officers.
