Botswana: Parties intensify campaigns as presidential and general elections approach

Incumbent Botswana President Ian Khama. PHOTO/File

With less than a month left for Botswana to have its presidential and general elections, political parties have intensified their campaigns as they prepare for the forthcoming October 24 polls.

The ruling Botswana Democratic party (BDP) and opposition parties including, the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) and the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) will battle it out for the right to govern the country for the next 5 years.

The 3 competing parties are not only visiting all the parliamentary constituencies to introduce their candidates to the electorate but are participating in radio debates in the country’s radio stations.

Several range of issues from the economy to problems exclusive to constituencies and how the candidates intend to address them are presented to the electorate in the debates. Public audiences get the opportunity to ask the candidates questions.

Incumbent president, Ian Khama, leads the BDP into the elections against Dumelang Saleshando of the BCP and UDC’s Duma Boko, a renowned human rights lawyer who is comparatively a political novice.

The country’s elections body, the Independent Electoral Commission, has stated its readiness to run the October 24 elections. The commission received 3 nominations for the presidency also received parliamentary and council nominations late last week.