Botswana’s opposition Alliance for Progressives (AP) on Thursday slammed the country’s judiciary system over the handling of election petitions that were filed before the courts by the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC).
In a statement following the Court of Appeal judgement that it had no jurisdiction to listen to election appeals, AP said “our disappointment with the judiciary is in its failure to provide any form of checks and balances, a necessary ingredient in the nourishing of any democratic system.”
AP noted that justice “would have been better served had the matters been allowed to all go to trials so that all issues and allegations are fully ventilated and tested.”
“The posture adopted by the courts to deny the UDC audience on the basis of technicalities may be a legal victory for the BDP (Botswana Democratic Party) but it has, more worryingly, denied the nation closure of knowing whether the 2019 elections were rigged or not.”
Meanwhile following the Appeals Court’s decision not to entertain its election appeals, the UDC has withdrawn all its remaining appeals which had been allowed by the High Court to go to trials, saying it has lost confidence in the justice system.
UDC is accusing the BDP of rigging last year’s election with the assistance of state agencies.
KO/jn/APA