New BDP rules unsettle candidates Criminal records, court cases haunt candidates We want credible candidates – Balopi A number of ministers to lose primaries The Botswana Democratic Party’s (BDP) move to require their parliamentary and council candidates to have an affidavit signed by the police and clearing them of not having criminal records is said to have unsettled some candidates who are even intending to pull out. A worried candidate said as part of the affidavit they are requested to submit finger prints to the police, which they suspect will be used to check if they have any criminal records. “We don’t know what they are using the finger prints for but my knowledge tells me that it is to check criminal records and ultimately vet out some,” said a worried BDP member who is planning to contest Bulela Ditswe. One of the reasons for seeking an affidavit is said to have been motivated by the past events where some of candidates spent a lot of time in the courts of law fighting legal battles instead of campaigning after winning primary elections. BDP Secretary General Mpho Balopi said they want credible candidates for the 2019 elections. “IEC also has a…