/ 22 June 1999

POLL LOOMS FOR BOTSWANA

BOTSWANA’S parliament convened in Gaborone on Monday for the start of what is expected to be a short session due to the October general elections. The session is expected to be a busy one, with a number of bills and motions to be debated before parliament is dissolved ahead of the election. According to the parliament order paper released Monday, a key bill to be passed by parliament is an amendment to the electoral law to allow voters whose national identity cards have expired to register for the poll. The bill is seen as essential to boost the number of people registering for the poll. Of the estimated 900000 eligible voters, only 400000 have so far registered. Once the bill is passed, a special “supplementary registration” will be held to get as many people as possible to register for elections.