Botswana goes to the polls this Wednesday with incumbent President Mokgweetsi Masisi facing three main challengers in what analysts are calling the country’s most competitive vote yet. The prosperous, diamond-rich nation has maintained a stable democracy since gaining independence from Britain in 1966.
For the first time, the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) faces strong opposition bolstered by former president Ian Khama, who is campaigning against Masisi after a bitter public fallout.
Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana declared independence on 30 September 1966, adopting a democratic system. The BDP has held power since then, with independence leader Seretse Khama as its first president.
The current BDP candidate, 60-year-old Masisi, was selected by Khama's son Ian, who was president from 2008 to 2018, to succeed him when he reached his two-term limit.
One of four presidential candidates, he's the favourite to win the election, which is open to one million registered voters.
Masisi, a US-educated former school teacher, won the 2019 polls with 52 percent of the vote. Shortly after taking office, he reversed several of Khama’s policies, including lifting a ban on trophy hunting, and removed the intelligence chief, a key Khama ally.
It was the start of a long, public feud.
Return from exile
After a self-imposed exile in South Africa, Khama returned to Botswana six weeks ago, calling his decision to hand power to Masisi in 2018 a “mistake”.
Unable to run for president himself, Khama has thrown his support behind the opposition, particularly the populist Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF), whose presidential candidate, 57-year-old Mephato Reatile, is a long-time Khama ally.
However, the BPF’s influence is limited to certain regions and lacks the national reach of other parties.
The main opposition alliance aiming to unseat the ruling BDP is the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), a coalition of left-leaning parties which took nearly 36 percent of the vote in the 2019 elections.
The UDC went to court to have the results thrown out over "irregularities" but the case was dismissed.
Its presidential candidate is the 54-year-old human rights lawyer Duma Boko, also leader of the Botswana National Front.
Boko has put the creation of "meaningful, decent, well-paying jobs" at the centre of his campaign and raised questions about the transparency of the election commission.
Finally, there is Dumelang Saleshando, 53, who heads the social democratic Botswana Congress Party (BCP) which won 15 percent in 2019, when it was part of the UDC.
It quit the coalition in 2023, complaining of internal dysfunction, in a blow to the opposition's chances on Wednesday.
Unemployment surge
With the opposition divided, Masisi is still expected to win, despite rising discontent at the end of his first term.
Under Masisi, Botswana's economic growth has shrunk, suffering from weakened demand for diamonds amid competition from lab-grown stones.
Diamonds constitute the country's main source of income, representing 30 percent of GDP and 80 percent of its exports.
Unemployment has surged past 25 percent this year, with young people particularly affected, while the disparity between rich and poor is among the highest in the world, according to the World Bank.
Many have also critcised Masisi's close relationship with Zimbabwe's authoritarian president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, whom the opposition alleged was interfering ahead of voting day.
(with AFP)
