Opposition wins UB-SRC elections again

Opposition wins UB-SRC elections again

This past Monday UB students gathered to their respective faculties’ voting halls to cast their votes and choose the party they’d like to see taking over the SRC office. The Umbrella won the election by a wide gap in all the cabinets. GS26-BDP came second. UDC is taking over from BCP, which this time came third in most categories.

The two weeks before election time was full of activity. On a good day or evening, an hour would not pass by without a candidate or two knocking at your dorm room door asking for a vote.

Speaking to one candidate for the BPC he said that the BCP was not interested in joining forces with the other opposition parties because they had a different agenda from them.

“And we want to take over the whole office.”

So if only one of you got voted in—let’s say the Minister of Entertainment, for example, he or she would not accept it?

“We want it all or nothing because if we were to mix with others it would not work out. Our ideas are very different from theirs.”

While standing in line and listening in on conversations, it seemed clear that GS26 would win because too numerous a number of students kept saying that there is only one party.

“There is only one party. And its colours are red.”

But things turned out very differently at the polls.

GS26 pulled out all the stops by even hosting a star-studded rally on the Sunday before election day. Amongst the performers was ATI, who recently revealed that he was a member of the ruling party.

Elections at the University of Botswana are very competitive. They may remind one of the Republican and Democratic parties of the USA. Each one of the parties know that they have the same chance to win or lose elections. And while in office, those who would have won make an effort to keep students updated on what they are working on and on the progress. Ministers give away their numbers freely because they want to be accessible to the students.