Ephraim Keoreng
14 October 2009
Atleast 983 election observers have resigned their positions preferring to cast their votes at their preferred places after the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) allegedly forced them to choose between the two
Though the Secretary of the Independent Electoral Commission (EC) Gabriel Seeletso says some polling officers who registered to vote in places far from where they were deployed to conduct elections opted out, the affected officers were actually pushed, it has emerged.
Some of them have told Mmegi that they were plainly told that they were expected to conduct elections where they were assigned or forfeit their right to vote. Being transferred to the constituencies where they registered to vote was out of the question, it was allegedly emphasised.
At a press update on preparations for the elections on October 16 yesterday, Seeletso said 983 officers had "opted out" and that they would be replaced by people who were currently undergoing training.
When Mmegi sought further clarification , Seeletso said some of the officers had wanted to be transferred to places where there were no vacancies for polling officers and "this was difficult."Meanwhile, Seeletso told an audience of journalists and elections observers in Gaborone that the IEC would have a national elections results centre where the results would be projected as they came in.
When Nigerian diplomat Isaac Onuh wanted to know how safe election material was from possible hijackers, Seeletso said "very safe". He said they had so far distributed election equipment and material to 31 constituencies far from Gaborone, among them Kasane, Maun and Boteti.Seeletso disclosed that each constituency would have two counting centres - one for local government elections, another for parliament elections.
The IEC Secretary also revealed that the election results would be out by noon on Sunday. "After verification, the counting of local government elections will start at polling districts," he said. "By Friday evening, we will have 99.99 percent of the results and those for Parliament by mid-day the following day."
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