20 October 2024
The Commonwealth Secretary-General, Rt Hon Patricia Scotland, KC, has deployed a team of Commonwealth experts to observe the October 30 general elections in Botswana.
The Commonwealth Expert Team (CET) led by Gideon Moi, a Kenyan Senator, comprises five other eminent persons drawn from across the Commonwealth, with expertise in politics, elections, media, law and civil society.
Announcing the departure of the team in Samoa, Secretary-General Scotland said:
“As we gather for Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa, our presence in Botswana to observe these elections reaffirms our unwavering commitment to democracy and human rights.
Building resilient societies demands free, fair, and inclusive electoral processes. We stand in solidarity with the people of Botswana in upholding democracy and development values as enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter.”
The Secretary-General expressed her gratitude to each expert team member for participating in the assignment, which is important to support Botswana’s democratic journey. The team will arrive on 23 October, and will meet key stakeholders, including the election management body, political parties, civil society groups, media, the diplomatic community and other international and citizen observers.
From 28 October, they will deploy in small teams to provinces across the country to observe electoral preparations and meet with local stakeholders in their respective locations. On election day, the team will observe the opening, voting, closing, counting and the results management processes and will consider all aspects of the election process and provide observations in a final report on whether the elections align with Botswana’s democratic commitments.
The CET will also be supported by Commonwealth Secretariat staff members, led by Nancy Kanyago, Legal Adviser for Rule of Law. The CET will depart Botswana on 04 November.
Commonwealth Expert Team Members:
- Chairperson: Gideon Moi, Senator, Kenya
The Commonwealth Expert Team members, in alphabetical order by country name, are:
- Georgina Kekea, Former President, Media Associations of Solomon Islands
- Pamela Ogiste, Assistant Chief Election Officer, Elections and Boundaries Commission, Trinidad and Tobago
- Judge Peter Herbert OBE, Human Rights Barrister & Judge (ret.) United Kingdom
- Chipokota Mwanawasa, Policy Adviser to President of Zambia
- Idzuafi Hadi Kamilan, Executive Director, Institute for Political Reform and Democracy, Malaysia
Source: https://thecommonwealth.org/news/commonwealth-experts-to-observe-botswana-elections
