Trouble is far from over for the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) 2019 election petitioners as the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) is demanding
payment of the P573 000 debt in legal costs, IEC Secretary Jefferson Siamisang has revealed. In 2019 UDC launched 14 petitions for its Parliamentary candidates including its president Advocate Duma Boko while Alliance for Progressives (AP) council candidate for Mosolotshane ward Mogalakwe Mogalakwe was the only petitioner outside the coalition. All the petitioners lost with costs.
Briefing the All-Party Conference (APC) meeting on Thursday, Siamisang said IEC is still chasing the debt from some of the 2019 general elections parliamentary candidate. He said IEC will soon reach out to the debtors to settle. “The petitioners are expected to settle as soon as possible before the 2024 elections approaches. We are appealing to them to settle their outstanding debts. That money is important for the commission,” he said.
However, Siamisang could not divulge how the IEC intends to take action against the petitioners should they fail to pay but impeccable sources within IEC intimate that the Commission will soon look out to drag the petitioners to court and bank on the Deputy Sherrifs to help it in recovering the money owed to it by the petitioners should the court rule on its favour.
It is said the IEC would first write to the petitioners and ask them to show their commitment to settle the bill depending on how they owe and would also write formally to the UDC which approached the court as collective organization on behalf of its candidates who petitioned the election outcomes.
The UDC approached the court and contested the outcome of the elections citing “irregularities in some of the constituencies. The UDC argued that there was rigging of elections in some constituencies, but the High Court thrown out the petitions on the basis that UDC has failed to provide sufficient evidence to support its case.
The coalition later moved a step further and appealed at the Court of Appeal (CoA) but the court dismissed the matter citing that it doesn’t have the jurisdiction to preside over politically related matters.
UDC Head of Communications Moeti Mohwasa did not respond to the inquiries sent to him on Thursday and by Friday could not answer calls into his mobile phone
Rivalry
Political analyst, Kitso Morekisi said the IEC pursuit for the debt would fuel the rivalry that exist between it and UDC, but said it is important for UDC to engage with the commission and amicably settle the issue.
According to him, UDC and IEC relationship has rocked a rock bottom since the 2019 general election, and it is now or never for the two critical parties to rebuild their relationship as they need each other as stakeholders in the local political scene.
“UDC is very big and powerful political formation which is alternative government in the waiting. It is an election year, and its sympathizers would ask why IEC is making mention of the petitioners outstanding debt now. Such move will be deemed politically motivated, but UDC must just act professionally and engage with the IEC on how best the situation could be addressed. The two needs each other,” he said.
Morekisi also said UDC should be not deterred by the debt and focus on its campaign after it was expected to launch its 2024 elections manifesto yesterday (Saturday) in Gaborone