Voting opened yesterday in Botswana for a hotly contested general election that could test the country’s traditionally stable politics, as the ruling party faces its toughest challenge yet.
The historic Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) — whose rule has been unfettered since independence from Britain in 1966 — was shaken up earlier this year after former president Ian Khama dramatically renounced his hand-picked successor Botswanan President Mokgweetsi Masisi.
Voters started gathering late on Tuesday at Tloga Tloga Community Junior Secondary School in Botswana’s capital Gaborone, waiting all night to cast their ballot.
Photo: AP
“I have spotted a candidate I think is the right person and I have to get him in,” 37-year-old banker Chops Maswikiti said.
“He does not belong to the party I voted for in the last two terms, but he represents strong sanity on our side,” he said.
Khama stormed out of the BDP in May after accusing Masisi — his deputy until last year — of autocracy.
The dispute could fracture the BDP and offset Botswana’s reputation as a beacon of democracy and stability in Africa.
It also strikes another blow to Botswana’s founding party, which saw its share of the vote dip below 50 percent for the first time at the last election in 2014.
Khama has thrown his weight behind the BDP’s strongest rival — a coalition of opposition parties called the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC).
While the opposition group was once Khama’s fiercest critic, he has urged voters to back the UDC in a bid to unseat the “dead” BDP.
Khama, whose father cofounded the BDP and served as Botswana’s first president, retains plenty of influence, particularly in the central region — a BDP stronghold — where he is a traditional chief.
Should Khama fulfill his goal, it would be the first time diamond-rich Botswana has seen a change of government in 53 years.
About 931,000 of the country’s 2.2 million people are registered to vote in the parliamentary and local elections.
The BDP, UDC and two smaller parties are vying for 57 seats in parliament. The party with the most seats chooses the president.
“This election is different because normally it’s obvious who will be the next president,” said Lesetamang Paya, a 63-year old retired public servant, before casting his vote.
“This time it’s uncertain, there is genuine competition,” he added.
Polls opened at about 6:30am and are to close at 7pm.
Results are expected to be announced by the end of the week.
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