Infighting splits electoral reform panel, presenting Parliament with two competing reports

The spat among members of a panel appointed to consider election reform in the country has been laid bare in Parliament.

MPs on Friday disapproved of being presented with two reports by the electoral reform consultation panel after 15 months of traversing the country to canvas public views about amending the country’s electoral system.

While chairperson of the panel Richard Sizani accused the majority camp of ignoring some public input, the other camp said Sizani’s group appeared to promote favoured options.

Last month, Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber presented what has been termed an original report, and another labelled the majority report to Parliament.

On Friday, he told the committee it was not for him to play referee to the infighting, two reports are permissible by law, and the process has to remain as independent as possible.

Panel chairperson Richard Sizani said the rifts appeared two weeks before a final report was due.

"I was really disappointed, because I had thought we could be magnanimous enough to accommodate each other, and each other’s views because we had a number of choices, we could do either three [options], which we have done, or up to five."

Representing the majority group, former IEC chairperson Pansy Tlakula said drafts of the report did not meet deadlines and did not include all views.

"The impression was that a minority of the panel members sought to promote specific options."

The committee has resolved to take advice from the speaker and Parliament’s legal services as to whether to accept two reports for consideration.