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Botswana

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Map of Botswana Last updated: 31 December 2008

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POLITICS

The constitution provides for the appointment of the president by parliament from its members, rather than election by popular vote. This is a subject of current controversy, especially since there are 4 MPs' seats in the gift of the majority parliamentary party. There is also a House of Chiefs.

Seretse Khama died in 1980 and was replaced by Ketumile Masire, who stepped down in favour of Festus Mogae in 1998. Mogae in turn stepped down in early 2008 and Seretse Khama's son, Lt Gen (Retd) Ian Khama became president. BDP governments have been notably technocratic – both Masire and Mogae were ministers of finance, and the latter was a professional economist – which has contributed to sound fiscal policies.

The last national elections were held on 30 October 2004. The BDP took 44 of the 57 available seats, the Botswana National Front (BNF)12 and the BCP 1 (although a first-past-the-post system caused loss of representation, and the BDP did not take as big a share of the popular vote as these figures indicate). Opposition politics in Botswana have been crippled by factionalism. There is an increasing realisation that the monolithic BDP can only be effectively challenged by some sort of electoral pact although recent attempts to form an opposition alliance have failed. Rapid urbanisation has meant that an increasing proportion of the electorate are detached from the conservative mores of rural society, upon which BDP draws many of its values. The opposition parties' urban support base means they tend to advocate more radical policies, especially in government spending.

Website of the Government of Botswana

HUMAN RIGHTS

Botswana has a generally good human rights record, consistent with its reputation for democratic and constitutional governance, although the fate of the San communities attracts international scrutiny. Most recently this has included a lengthy high-profile legal battle over the relocation of San communities from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR). The High Court ruled in the San’s favour, although the government is not obliged to provide services to those San living in the Reserve. The government's public position is that the relocation of the San out of the CKGR was necessary to enable them to benefit from the country's development. The government is also keen to preserve the wildlife of the Reserve. Others argue that the  individual human rights of the San communities should be protected and their traditional way of life preserved. They argue that the enforced relocations out of the CKGR were unlawful. Shortly after his inauguration in April 2008, President Khama called a meeting between San/Bushmen and the Government to seek a constructive dialogue on the way forward.

Botswana's creditable record has not spared it from criticism on other human rights issues, such as the maintenance of the death penalty.

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Contacts

Botswana

Address:

Botswana High Commission
6 Stratford Place
London W1C 1AY

Telephone:

(020) 7499 0031
(020) 7647 1000

Fax:

(020) 7495 8595
(020) 7409 7382

Office hours:

Mon-Fri 0900-1700 

Website: bohico@govbw.com