By RFIPosted on 10-25-2019Modified on 25-10-2019 at 09:55
Botswana's outgoing president, Mokgweetsi Masisi, was elected for a five-year term on Wednesday, 23 October. His party, currently in power, won a majority in Parliament.
" I, Terrence Rannowane, have the honor to declare to the nation of Botswana and to the world that Dr. Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi is elected President of the Republic of Botswana, " said the country's highest magistrate on Friday. In keeping with tradition, the incumbent president was declared the winner once his party won 29 of the 57 seats in Parliament. Even if counting continues in the other constituencies.
An election that promised to be tight
Mokgweetsi Masisi, 58, assumed the presidency of Botswana in April 2018 after the resignation of his predecessor Ian Khama , in accordance with the country's constitution which limits the tenure of the heads of state to a maximum of ten years. At the helm of the country since independence in 1966, President Masisi's Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) was for the first time threatened with losing a majority in parliament at the polls due to a sling launched by his predecessor.
Ian Khama, who accuses his successor of authoritarian drift, slammed the door of the BDP, created his own party and openly called during the campaign to vote for the opposition.
With AFP
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