An appeal in the disputed 2019 Botswana election will be heard on January 29, following a court of appeal ruling on Wednesday that overturned a lower court ruling.

Judge Lakhvinder Singh Walia ruled that the opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) has reasonable arguable cases on the elections appeal, Mmegi Online reported.

UDC leader Duma Boko and others, who were unsuccessful candidates in the October 23 parliamentary elections, petitioned the high court challenging the results. The petitions were heard by the high court but were dismissed.

The judge also expressed his gratitude to the parties and their legal representative for affording the applications the urgency and importance they deserved, and for facilitating smooth progress of the matter.

The ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) won 38 seats in the parliamentary election and UDC 15.

The UDC petitioned the court and contested the outcome of the elections, citing irregularities in some constituencies.