Luanda - The Counselor of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of the Republic of Botswana, Dareem Lame Serumula, attributed, on Monday, in Luanda, importance to exchange with Angola’s National Electoral Commission (CNE), taking in account the experience accumulated over the years.

When intervening at the exchange work session, the official stated that the moment is opportune, at a time when her institution is changing the manual electoral system to the electronic.

'Our electoral law has been changed to allow registration to be done electronically, so we hope to learn from the CNE in Angola, to know how you got successes in this area,' she said.

Therefore, 'knowledge acquired throughout your performance will naturally help us improve on this issue of the introduction of electronic electoral registration in Botswana,' she reiterated.

She informed that they do not have an infrastructure, from the CNE perspective, noting that they continue to lease a space to operate the service of the institution, which according to it is not recommended for the sensitivity of the electoral committees.

Fortunately, very recently, the government approved the construction of a headquarters for the Botswana Electoral Commission. We want to learn with you and know how you have succeeded in the projection and construction of your headquarters, 'she said.

In turn, CNE National Commissioner, Eduardo de Sousa Magalhães, stressed that Botswana’s IEC work visit, in the scope of regional cooperation, is of particular importance in the context of the principles and guidelines of the Africa Development Community (SADC), with special prevalence for the Electoral Committees Forum.  

'The claim of Botswana's transition from the manual system to the electoral registration electronic will constitute a historical and strategic framework for the consolidation of democracy and electoral transparency on the African continent,' he said.

In this context, the sharing of good practices, accumulated experiences and competencies acquired by Angola in the field of the use of information and communication technologies, all phases of the electoral process, will undoubtedly be a significant contribution to the mission of Botswana's independent electoral commission, he stressed.

'It is a spirit of African solidarity and within our commitment to the principles of legality, transparency and institutional cooperation that we reiterate our willingness to contribute to scientific knowledge and technological tools that can enrich the vision of Botswana's independent electoral commission about the future of its electoral registration system,' he said.                                                                                                                          

At the time, the National Director of the Electoral Registry of the Ministry of Territory Administration (MAT), shared with the foreign delegation the experience of Angola, from 1992 to 2022.

During the stay of three days, they will also contact the direction of organization and logistics of the CNE, to visit the Municipal Electoral Commissions of Quiçama and Provincial of Luanda, among other activities. LDN/SC/DOJ