Botswana’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) on Monday commenced its second and last supplementary voter registration as it struggles to reach its target for parliamentary elections set for May.
IEC spokesperson Osupile Maroba revealed that a total of 791,568 Batswana had registered following the completion of the first supplementary voter registration that ended on March 31.
The IEC has set a target of at least 1.3 million out of the eligible 1.5 million voters for the upcoming general elections.
Maroba said in an effort to reach its target the IEC would open all its 2,260 polling stations as well as 36 external registration centres for Batswana living outside the country.
Maroba said the commissions would also engage different stakeholders, including non-governmental organisations and political parties to assist in the registration.
“The supplementary voter registration will close on the 28th of April,” he said.
Meanwhile, IEC has opened the voters’ rolls for inspection.
Maroba said the inspection, which started April 8 ending May 20, would last 42 days.
He said copies were available for inspection at the offices of the principal registration officers and principal elections officers in the 57 constituencies and that inspection was conducted during operating hours.
KO/jn/APA