Botswana's ruling party scores easy victory - Elections '99 - Sustainable Democracy

GABORONE, 18 October 1999
Politics returned to normal here today with the ruling
Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) winning by a wide majority in both Parliament and local council elections. The main opposition party, the Botswana Congress Party, was almost wiped out, its leader badly defeated with only a possible lone seat in the next Parliament.

President Festus Mogae, leader of the BDP, was declared elected President at 5.30 a.m. today by Chief Justice J.M Nganumu. Mogae will be inaugurated
Wednesday for his first full term of office and is expected to make some major changes to put his own stamp on the cabin et which he inherited in
mid-term from retiring Sir Ketumile Masire.

His election was declared when the BDP was confirmed with 21 seats by the Independent Electoral Commission. The president of Botswana does not run directly for election but is confirmed by the courts when the winning party receives more than half the seats in the 40-member parliament.

At noon Monday, the slow-moving vote-counting process had 27 BDP parliamentarians elected and five from the long-time opposition Botswana
National Front (BNF). Eight largely rural constituencies were still counting and final results are not expected until late today.

But, if trends continue, BDP could win more than 30 seats with BNF holding six or seven and BCP gaining perhaps one. It is a return to pre-1994
politics when BDP ruled and BNF opposed. When Parliament was dissolved last September, BDP held 27 seats, BCP 11 and BNF two. The 1994 elections had changed the face of Botswana's historic multi-party democracy when BNF won 13 seats. However, a split in the party in 1998 left BNF with only two seats and a new formation, BCP with 11.

Voters clearly were not happy about the opposition MPs decision. BCP leader Mike Dingake ran a poor third in his Gaborone Central seat, giving BDP its
first capital city seat in 15 years.

Veteran opposition politician Dr. Kenneth Koma won handily for BNF and will become leader of the official opposition, a post he lost when the parties split. At the time, he said the people would not forgive politicians who were elected MPs by one party and then left to form another. "The split was between MPs, the grassroots stayed with BNF and punished the BCP," he said.

"If there had been no parliamentary split, we might well have won this election," Soper Osupile, BNF national elections secretary said, pointing out that even with a divided vote, the opposition BNF had gained "possibly eight seats from two."

Dingake and BCP leaders were still huddled over their polling figures, trying to come up with an answer. Dingake declined to be interviewed but
some BCP officials said "our" biggest mistake was in forgetting our culture. Tswana are very traditional people. Once they decide to support a party they
do not forgive those who leave it to form another."

Asked if former BCP members would be welcomed back to the BNF fold to reunite the opposition, Osupile said it would be a long time. "There is too
much antagonism. If people come back as individuals and help us regroup, then they will be welcome, but the BCP leaders can't come back. They may try to continue but as a party I think BCP is finished."

Mogae is now secure in his leadership in his own right and will take the comfortable victory as a mandate to implement the BDP election programme and continue the plan for national development which the opposition had criticised so severely during the campaign.

"The president has sole prerogative in naming his own cabinet. Certainly some will leave and new blood will be brought in. It will be a Mogae cabinet. Certainly our challenge will be one of delivering our programmes. We will battle unemployment, poverty and the income gap. We will continue our prudent fiscal policies and we will devote much more money and energy to the devastating HIV/AIDS pandemic which has struck us," said Daniel Kwelagobe, their party's secretary-general and a victorious candidate.

Unable to contain his elation, he attributed the win not to a divided opposition but to BDP preparedness and a smooth, well financed campaign. "We had our manifestos out six months ago, we nominated early, we worked hard and Mogae is a great campaigner. He was everywhere." But, he added, "we cannot be complacent, we have the right policies, we must deliver on them.

Although the opposition parties made much of their gender emphasis, promising 30 percent of their MPs would be women, it was the oft-criticised BDP who elected six women MPs, some in difficult constituencies. Altogether 11 women ran for Parliament.

Complaints about the IEC voting process continue. Polls closed Saturday evening but by mid-day Monday eight parliamentary seats were still in doubt
and could take until tonight to decide.

The Electoral Commissions Forum of the SADC Countries issued a press release saying that the election was managed competently "despite the fact that the ballot paper system, being used for the first time, caused some delays. In addition the centralised counting system further delayed the exercise."

The Forum, which is an association of all electoral management bodies from SADC countries was an official observer. The five-member team was led by
Sekara Sam Mafisa, chair of the Lesotho Independent Electoral Commission.

"The electoral process and its outcome reflect the will of the people of Botswana. The mission congratulates them for a successful election," the
statement said.

Reducing the voting age limit from 21 to 18 seems to have made little difference and IEC officials said few young people voted.

"They never even registered so how could they vote and those that did, were too impatient to stand in long queues on a hot day. As for the delay in
counting, it's always that way here. We like doing things the old way and people always complain about late results," Kwelagobe said.

However, IEC will be closely examining its work and there are strong hints that a commission will be set up to examine some of its deficiencies. (SARDC)