Regarded as the tightest elections in the history of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), result of the polls which were held on 23 October have been delayed, a senior electoral official said on Thursday.
Speaking to journalists in the capital Gaborone, IEC spokesperson Osupile Maroba said the results would be delayed due to a number of contributing factors.
He said one factor leading to the tardiness of releasing the results was protocol.
Maroba explained that before results could be displayed for consumption at the media centre, the Commission must satisfy multiple stages of verification.
The IEC set up the center following an outcry by the media and other stakeholders in the electoral process calling for transparency in the entire exercise.
Meanwhile preliminary results suggest that the ruling BDP has caused an upset in the capital Gaborone as it is expected to snatch all five constituencies which were held by main opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change(UDC).
He said another factor is that politicians want to ensure that due process is followed and this has the potential to put pressure on IEC officials, hence the delay.
But the UDC which has the backing of former President Ian Khama is making inroads in the stronghold of the ruling party which is the central part of the country.
The BDP has won almost all the council wards in the capital Gaborone and it is set to wrestle all the constituencies in the city from the opposition.
KO/as/APA