Gideon Moi to lead Commonwealth team observing Botswana polls

Kanu Party national Chairman Gideon Moi. [File, Standard]

Kanu Party national Chairman Gideon Moi has been appointed the Chairperson of the Commonwealth Expert Team (CET) to observe the upcoming General Election in Botswana, slated for Wednesday, October 30, 2024.

Gideon will lead a team of five distinguished persons drawn from across the Commonwealth with expertise in politics, elections, media, and civil society.

Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland KC, while deploying the team, reaffirmed the organisation’s unwavering commitment to democracy and human rights, noting that resilient societies are built on free, fair, and inclusive electoral processes.

During their mission in Botswana, the team will engage with crucial electoral stakeholders, including the electoral management body, political parties, civil society organizations, media representatives, the diplomatic community, and other international and domestic observers.

The scope of the observation will include the evaluation of pre-election preparatory activities in different provinces across the country as well as monitoring of the election day procedures, such as the opening, ballot casting, closing, counting, and the transmission and tabulation of results.   

On concluding their work, the team will compile and release a final report detailing their observations after considering all aspects of the electoral process. The report will assess whether the election was conducted in accordance with Botswana’s democratic commitments.