President Masisi’s BDP wants five more years in power

Botswana’s governing celebration – in energy for nearly six many years – is attempting to drag off a trick in Wednesday’s normal election through the use of a phrase usually related to long-suffering opposition teams.

In its manifesto, the Botswana Democratic Social gathering (BDP) is asking for “change”.

“Let’s change collectively and construct prosperity for all,” President Mokgweetsi Masisi – in command of the nation since 2018 – writes within the introduction.

It’s an acknowledgement that issues should be executed in a different way – the opposition argues that the president’s celebration just isn’t able to try this.

Although analysts say the end result of the election is tough to foretell this time, the BDP has gained good-looking parliamentary majorities on the 11 elections since independence in 1966.

It subsequently secured the presidency each time as MPs elect the pinnacle of state.

The BDP has been credited with overseeing a peaceable and dramatic transformation of a poor nation, with just a few kilometres of tarred roads at independence, into a spot the place common residing requirements are among the many highest on the continent.

Underpinning this transformation has been Botswana’s large diamond reserves – measured by their worth, the nation is the world’s largest producer of the gemstone.

And but all just isn’t nicely.

Botswana is dealing with huge financial challenges – therefore Masisi’s discuss of change.

A couple of in 4 of the working inhabitants is unemployed, with a good increased proportion amongst youthful individuals, in keeping with the World Financial institution.

Politics professor on the College of Botswana Zibani Maundeni described it as a “jobless financial system”.

“We’re producing graduates yearly and the financial system just isn’t producing sufficient jobs for them,” he informed the BBC’s Africa Each day podcast.

As well as, Botswana’s wealth just isn’t evenly unfold round amongst its 2.3 million individuals.

By a measure generally known as the Gini index, researchers say it’s one of the unequal international locations on the earth.

And the diamond business seems to be below strain globally as demand has been falling.

However Masisi and his celebration proceed to challenge confidence.

At a marketing campaign rally in an opposition stronghold in central Botswana, the president arrived in fashion in an electrical automobile assembled within the nation.

Getting out, the 63-year-old former trainer danced in direction of the stage greeting supporters in red-and-white celebration colors.

Laughter rang via the group as Masisi’s humour and charisma electrified the viewers.

The world – residence to the earlier President, Ian Khama – elected three opposition MPs in 2019.

This was after Khama defected from the BDP to assist type the Botswana Patriotic Entrance (BPF), saying he regretted selecting Masisi as his successor.

The dramatic fall-out between the 2 males led to Khama leaving the nation, accusing the federal government of attempting to poison him.

Khama was then charged with cash laundering, amongst different crimes, all of which he denies.

It additionally ended the political dominance of his household – his father, Sir Seretse Khama, was the nation’s first president and served for 14 years from 1966.

“I’m sorry, please come again residence and in addition name others over,” Masisi informed the rally pleading to voters to return to the BDP.

Hair-salon proprietor, Thandiwe Potso, 32, appeared satisfied.

“Masisi really understands our challenges and introduced higher programmes to fund our companies,” she informed the BBC, her eyes shining with conviction.

Kabelo Selemo, 45, agreed.

“His insurance policies have helped us develop as you’ll be able to see we not import greens. I imagine in his imaginative and prescient for our future,” mentioned the small-business proprietor.

However in keeping with an opinion ballot, many others is probably not really easy to persuade.

Revered non-partisan polling organisation Afrobarometer launched a damming report earlier this 12 months.

It mentioned that regardless of the nation rating extremely in good governance on the continent, individuals in Botswana had a detrimental view of the federal government believing there have been excessive ranges of corruption.

“Robust majorities specific little or no belief within the incumbent and disapprove of the best way he has carried out his job,” it mentioned.

BDP spokesperson Kagelelo Banks Kentse questioned the credibility of the ballot.

He argued that Afrobarometer had in earlier elections underestimated help for the BDP and thought it might be no totally different this time. Although the celebration just isn’t taking something without any consideration.

“I might be very unsuitable to say that we’re over-confident,” Kentse informed the BBC.

“I all the time hear individuals saying: ‘That is the hardest election we’ve come throughout’, however we are saying that in each election 12 months. You by no means win earlier than the precise vote.”

He admitted that the unemployment charge didn’t paint a very good image, however argued that each nation on the continent was experiencing related issues, including that his celebration was pledging to create 300,000 extra jobs.

Kentse additionally touted the toughly negotiated deal that Masisi struck with diamond agency De Beers final 12 months for Botswana to learn extra from its pure sources.

Initially the state will get a 30% share of the tough diamonds mined within the nation, a rise on the 25% it received beforehand, rising to 50% inside 10 years.

However Dumelang Saleshando, chief of one of many largest opposition events, argued that the federal government has simply copied others’ concepts.

He mentioned his Botswana Congress Social gathering (BCP) had first set a jobs goal, which the BDP had beforehand rejected saying it was higher to depart issues to the free market.

One of many slogans Saleshando is deploying is: “Save Botswana”.

“I believe individuals have seen the BDP for what it’s,” he informed the BBC.

“It actually can not argue that it’s an agent of change. Prior to now it has all the time tried to say it’s about retaining stability – extra of the identical – and out of panic they’re attempting to evangelise what they don’t imagine in.”

Supporters of one other opposition celebration – the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), which received the second largest share of the vote in 2019, got here out of their numbers within the north of the capital, Gaborone.

Wearing blue-and-white T-shirts and solar hats, they cheered chief Duma Boko.

Not like Masisi, Boko usually remained severe, to be able to emphasise how a lot the individuals had been struggling below the BDP.

He alleged that there have been makes an attempt to rig the ballot.

“I urge you all to be vigilant and after voting out the BDP you stay on the polling station to protect your vote,” he mentioned.

Thapelo Dimpe, a 45-year-old former trainer, has no doubts about why he desires to see the president’s celebration defeated.

“Masisi has allow us to down on schooling reform. The UDC plans to put money into our colleges and empower our youth with the schooling they deserve,” he mentioned.

Though the federal government has a number of issues that might dent its help, opposition divisions might allow the BDP to remain in energy.

Each MP is elected on a first-past-the-post foundation, that means that to win a seat, the BDP solely wants the most important variety of votes in a constituency reasonably than greater than 50%.

In a seat the place the UDC, BCP or BPF – or quite a lot of different events – are operating, it might imply that the opposition vote is break up, permitting the BDP to get in.

“These events appear to have factionalism inside themselves, they maintain taking inside points to the media – they don’t seem to be actually united,” political analyst Lesole Machacha informed the BBC.

However he additionally identified that the BDP had its personal issues.

“The ruling celebration just isn’t 100% intact – additionally it is having points. In some constituencies BDP politicians who weren’t pleased with the first course of are operating as impartial candidates, which might divide that vote,” Mr Machacha mentioned.

All this makes for a intently fought and unpredictable election, he added.

For certainly one of Africa’s most profitable political events, the query now’s whether or not sufficient persons are satisfied that it could possibly oversee the change that the nation wants.