Botswana’s ruling party claims election victory

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Botswana’s ruling party claimed victory in the country’s general
election on Saturday extending President Ian Khama’s rule over the
world’s largest diamond producer for another five years.

Khama’s Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), in power since independence
from Britain in 1966, said it had secured a majority of the
parliamentary constituencies. “We have reached the 29 out of the 57,”
Langston Motsete, a member of the BDP’s election committee, told
Reuters.

Independent Electoral Commission spokesman Oscar Maroba said he expected
final results to be announced later on Saturday. The BDP had been
expected to retain control over the southern African nation in the
parliamentary and presidential elections held on Friday, despite
frustration over a recession and infighting in the party.

The country has been hit hard as a global economic slowdown cuts demand
for diamonds, which account for close to 40 per cent of the economy. The
crisis has plunged the landlocked country into debt and gross domestic
product is forecast to shrink 10 percent.

However, investors regard Botswana as one of Africa’s best-run countries
with a history of budget surpluses and the region’s strongest currency,
a sharp contrast to neighbouring Zimbabwe, which is crippled by
political and economic turmoil.

The BDP has been dogged by internal squabbles which has seen some of its
support wane. It lost a main constituency stronghold to the opposition
Botswana National Front (BNF) in the capital Gaborone.

Khama, son of the country’s first president, has been in heated
arguments with the BDP’s chairman and suspended its secretary-general,
Gomolemo Motswaledi, for allegedly undermining his authority.

The row has intensified charges of autocracy and populism against Khama,
a British-trained army lieutenant-general who has said politics was
never his first choice of career. He has dismissed suggestions that
infighting could hurt his party.

The BDP won 77.2 per cent of the vote in the last election in 2004. From
the look of things, Botswana Congress Party (BCP) is likely to eclipse
BNF as the main opposition party.

Counting in Botswana’s general elections started on Saturday morning
after a peaceful voting exercise on Friday. Voters in some
constituencies complained about long queues and delays as others had
trouble with identification documents, double registration or missing
names.

The candidate whose party produces the majority of MPs is declared the
winner of the presidential race. The returning officer for presidential
elections in Botswana is the chief justice.

The three presidential candidates voted in their respective
constituencies and expressed confidence of winning. President Khama
voted in Serowe North where his younger brother Tshekedi is defending
his seat.

Leader of the official opposition, Mr Otsweleste Moupo, voted in
Gaborone West North while BCP’s Gilson Saleshando cast his ballot in
Selebi-Phikwe West.