Hundreds of thousands of Batswana voted on Wednesday in a general election seen as the first real test for the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which has been in power since the country’s independence in 1966.
Polling stations opened at 6.30am (0430 GMT) across the southern African country, with thousands of Batswana lining up to elect Members of Parliament (MPs) in this historic election in which the BDP’s stranglehold on power is being challenged by a coalition of opposition parties.
According to the Independent Electoral Commission, more than 900,000 Batswana are registered to vote on Wednesday.
Polling stations are expected to close at 7pm local time.
The main opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) led by Boko Duma is hoping to unseat the BDP of President Mokgweetsi Masisi.
The BDP’s dominance is also being challenged by the newly formed Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF), which is fronted by former assistant minister Biggie Butale and has the backing of ex-Botswana president Ian Khama.
Besides Masisi, Duma and Butale, a fourth presidential candidate is Ndaba Gaolathe of the Alliance for Progressives.
Khama fell out with his successor and has campaigned for the opposition in his bid to remove the BDP – which was ironically formed by his father and Botswana’s founding president, Sir Seretse Khama, in the 1960s – from power.
Khama, who was president and leader of the BDP from 2008 to 2018, broke away from the ruling party after a fall-out with Masisi, who did not want to continue “taking orders” from him.
The country uses a single constituency electoral system of First-Past-The-Post for the election of MPs.
The Parliament of Botswana has 63 seats, of which 57 are filled through direct election. There are four seats reserved for the majority party in Parliament, while the President and Attorney-General are ex-officio members.
The leader of the political party with the highest number of votes automatically becomes the president.
JN/APA