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Diamond in the Rough

BOTSWANA

The two main opposition parties in Botswana, the Umbrella for Democratic Change and the Botswana Congress Party, were planning to demonstrate outside the Zimbabwean embassy in the capital Gaborone to protest alleged Zimbabwean meddling in Botswana’s Oct. 30 election, according to Channel Africa.

A representative of President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) denied the allegations, however, telling Voice of America that the opposition parties made the same claims during the 2019 election but failed to prove the allegations in court.

The dispute highlighted how diamond-rich Botswana, while considered one of the most stable democracies in Africa, still faces considerable hurdles in carrying out truly free and fair elections. The BDP has dominated the country since independence in 1966 from the United Kingdom, explained Freedom House. The party has used its majorities to pass restrictive laws that curtail freedom of the press and oppress minority ethnic groups, dissidents, LGBTQ folks, and journalists.

The BDP, meanwhile, in power for 58 years, is preaching change for Botswana.

However, this election could spark change in the form of leadership because of heightened criticism of Masisi’s economic policies and disputes within the BDP.

Once one of the poorest countries in the world, Botswana has experienced growth and development post-independence at a pace second to none, noted the Harvard International Review. Today, Botswana is one of the least corrupt nations in Africa, boasts the highest economic freedom score in the region, and maintains a GDP per capita on par with other emerging economies, such as Brazil and Turkey.

While Botswana has grown steadily due to its rich diamond industry, however, the country has failed to diversify its economy beyond diamonds and herding. This underdevelopment has given rise to economic inequality and unemployment for those not involved in the country’s two most important sectors.

Perhaps more importantly, former President Ian Khama, the son of the country’s most revered independence leader and first president, has broken with Masisi, who was his handpicked successor, the BBC reported. Khama, who served as president for 10 years from 2008, has said Masisi is “drunk on power.” He’s been campaigning on behalf of the opposition Botswana Patriotic Front.

Botswanan prosecutors have also charged Khama with money laundering, owning illegal firearms, and other crimes. He has denied the charges but has returned from exile in the UK to face them in court. A decision is expected after the election.

In Botswana, voters elect legislators who then pick one of four candidates to be president, wrote Reuters. It’s possible that the Botswana Patriotic Front could take votes from the BDP, giving presidential candidate Duma Boko of the Umbrella for Democratic Change a better chance of unseating Masisi. As the Africa Report wrote, Boko has worked hard to assemble a coalition of opposition groups to maximize his yield at the polls, but has failed to bring everyone into his bloc.

The election could be a nail-biter.

But Dumelang Saleshando, leader of the opposition Botswana Congress Party, expressed confidence that voters will choose change.

The BDP “certainly cannot argue that it is an agent of change,” he told the BBC. “In the past, it has always tried to say it’s about keeping stability – more of the same – and out of panic they are trying to preach what they don’t believe in.”

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