A referendum on judicial reform was held in
Botswana
Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...
on 3 November 2001, having been originally scheduled for 6 October, but later postponed.
Botswana: 2001 Referendum
EISA The referendum asked eight separate questions about judges and courts, all of which were approved, seven by a margin of over 70%. Voter turnout for the referendum was just 4.9%, with 22,600 votes from a total of 460,252 registered voters.
African Elections Database[Botswana: Ethnic tensions on the rise]
IRIN, 8 November 2001 Pitso Ya Batswana claimed that the referendum was an attempt by the BaKalanga ethnic group, who are over-represented in the judicial system, to increase their hold over it.[
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Question I
The first question was regarding qualification of candidates to be appointed judges on the High Court:
The proposal was passed with a 74.2% approval.[
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Question II
The second question was regarding qualification of candidates to be appointed judges on the Court of Appeal:
The proposal was passed with a 74.81% approval.[
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Question III
The third question was regarding a change in the designation of High Court judges:
The proposal was passed with a 76.74% approval.[
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Question IV
The fourth question was regarding raising the retirement age of High Court and Court of Appeal judges:
The proposal was passed, although with only a 53.93% approval, far lower than any of the other questions.[
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Question V
The fifth question was regarding the nomination of members of the Judicial Service Commission:
The proposal was passed with a 72.45% approval.[
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Question VI
The sixth question was regarding the Judicial Service Commission:
The proposal was passed with a 72.68% approval.[
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Question VII
The seventh question was regarding the Industrial Court:
The proposal was passed with a 74.5% approval.[
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Question VIII
The eighth and last question was regarding the Chief Justice:
The proposal was passed with a 76.68% approval, the highest of all the proposals.[
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References
{{Botswana elections
Botswana judicial reform referendum
Judicial reform referendum
2001
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Reform in Botswana
Botswana judicial reform referendum