President Masisi’s BDP wants another five years in power

Botswana’s ruling party – which has been in power for nearly six decades – is trying to outwit Wednesday’s general election by using a phrase often associated with long-suffering opposition parties.

In its manifesto, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) calls for “change”.

“Let’s change together and build prosperity for all people,” President Mokgweetsi Masisi – who has been in charge of the country since 2018 – wrote in the introduction.

It is an acknowledgment that things need to be done differently – opposition parties say the president’s party is not in a position to do that.

Even though experts who are investigating say that the outcome of the election is difficult to predict at this time, the BDP has won the parliamentary seats in the eleventh election since the country gained independence in 1966.

After that, he received the presidency every time the Members of Parliament elected the head of state.

The BDP is credited with overseeing the peaceful and remarkable transformation of a poor country, with only a few kilometers of asphalt roads at independence, into a place where the average standard of living is the highest on the continent.

The basis for this change has been Botswana’s large diamond reserves – measured by their value, the country is the world’s largest producer of precious stones.

However, all is not well.

Botswana is facing major economic challenges – that’s why Masisi is talking about change.

More than one in four working people are unemployed, with the highest proportion among young people, according to the World Bank.

University of Botswana politics professor Zibani Maundeni described it as “useless economy”.

“We are producing graduates every year and the economy is not producing enough jobs,” he told the BBC’s Africa Daily podcast.

Furthermore, Botswana’s wealth is not evenly distributed among its 2.3 million people.

With a measure known as the Gini index, researchers say it is one of the most unequal countries in the world.

And the diamond industry appears to be under pressure worldwide as demand has been declining.

But Masisi and his team continue to exude confidence.

At a campaign rally in a stronghold in the middle of Botswana, the president arrived in style in an electric car that was assembled in the country.

On his way out, the 63-year-old teacher danced towards the stage, greeting fans in the party colors of red and white.

Laughter erupted from the crowd when Masisi’s jokes and love entertained the audience.

The constituency – home to former President, Ian Khama – elected three opposition MPs in 2019.

This happened after Khama defected from the BDP to help form the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF), saying he regretted appointing Masisi to replace him.

The disagreement between the two men led Khama to leave the country accusing the government of trying to poison him.

Khama was then charged with money laundering, among other charges, all of which he denied.

It also ended the political dominance of his family – his father, Sir Seretse Khama, was the country’s first president and ruled for 14 years from 1966.

“I’m sorry, please go back home and call others,” said Masisi telling voters to return to BDP.

The owner of the hair salon, Thandiwe Potso, 32, seemed convinced.

“Masisi really understands our challenges and has brought better programs to support our businesses,” he told the BBC, his eyes shining with confidence.

Kabelo Selome, 45, agreed.

“His policies have helped us to grow as you can see that we do not import vegetables from other countries. I believe in his vision for our future,” said this small businessman.

But according to opinion polls, many others may not be so easy to convince.

A respected non-partisan polling organization The Afrobarometer released a grim report earlier this year.

It says that although the country is at the top in terms of good governance in the continent, the people of Botswana have a negative view of the government and believe that the level of corruption is high.

“The powerful majority expresses little or no trust in the person in charge and they do not agree with the way he has done his job,” it said.

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

He pointed out that the Afrobarometer in the last election underestimated the support of the BDP and he thinks it will not be different this time. Although the team is not taking anything for granted.

“I would be very wrong to say we are overconfident,” Kentse told the BBC.

“I always hear people say: ‘This is the hardest election we’ve ever faced’, but we say it every election year. You will never win before the actual vote.”

He admitted that the unemployment rate does not paint a good picture, but said that all nations in the continent are facing the same problems, adding that his party is committed to creating 300,000 job opportunities.

Kentse also praised the agreement that Masisi had negotiated with the diamond company De Beers last year so that Botswana can benefit more from its natural resources.

Initially the state will receive a 30% share of the diamonds mined in the country, up from the 25% it previously received, rising to 50% within 10 years.

But Dumelang Saleshando, the leader of one of the main opposition parties, said the government had just copied the ideas of others.

He said his party, the Botswana Congress Party (BCP), first laid the foundation for the jobs, the BDP, which had previously denied it, said it was better to leave things to the free market.

One of Saleshando’s slogans is: “Save Botswana”.

“I think people have seen the BDP for what it is,” he told the BBC.

“It cannot be denied that he is an agent of change. In the past it’s been trying to say it’s about maintaining stability – the same – and out of panic they’re trying to preach what they don’t believe in.”

Supporters of another opposition party – Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), which received the second largest share of votes in 2019, came out in large numbers in the north of the capital, Gaborone.

Wearing green and white t-shirts and sun hats, they cheered for leader Duma Boko.

Unlike Masisi, Boko has been firm, to emphasize how much people are suffering under BDP.

He pointed out that there are efforts to strengthen voting.

“I urge you all to be careful and after voting for BDP stay at the polling station to watch your vote,” he said.

Thapelo Dimpe, 45, a former teacher has no doubt why he wants to see the president’s event. defeated.

“Masisi has disappointed us with the changes in education. UDC plans to invest in our schools and empower our youth with proper education,” he said.

Even though the government has many problems that can discourage its support, the division of the opposition parties can make the BDP continue to rule.

Every Member of Parliament is first elected after leaving office, which means that to win a seat, the BDP only needs a majority of the votes in the constituency to exceed fifty percent.

In a seat where the UDC, BCP or BPF – or a number of other parties – can say that the opposition votes are divided, it allows the BDP to enter.

“These groups seem to be divided among themselves, they keep taking internal matters to the media – they are not really united,” political analyst Lesole Machacha told the BBC.

But he also pointed out that the BDP has problems.

“The ruling party is not 100% perfect – it also has problems. In some constituencies, BDP politicians who are not satisfied with the state’s foundation run for election as independents, which may split their votes,” said Mr. Machacha.

All this made for a closely fought and unpredictable election, he added.

In one of Africa’s most successful political parties, the question now is whether enough people have the confidence to see the changes the country needs.