Mogae leads in Bots polls

GABORONE – Botswana President Festus Mogae’s ruling party led in early results released yesterday with the opposition split – and is seen as a safe bet to win overall in the world’s largest diamond producer.

Final results may not be known until tomorrow because of delays caused by what observers called a “painfully slow” count and by the checking of voter identities against the electoral register. Former International Monetary Fund economist Mogae’s Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has won every election in the southern African country, which has one of the world’s highest HIV-infection rates, since independence from Britain in 1966.Of the three known results, the BDP had two seats, but 54 results were still to come.The opposition took a seat on the outskirts of Gaborone from the ruling BDP but in Francistown West in north Botswana, BDP won easily with 3 526 votes and the anti-government vote divided between two candidates with just over 1 500 votes apiece.”It proves that the opposition just split down the line,” said a western diplomat monitoring the elections.”I think that’s something you’ll see again and again across the country.”On Saturday, many people waited up to five hours in the blazing heat across a country bigger than France to vote as officials meticulously checked identities against voter rolls.Botswana’s diamond wealth has given the country one of the highest gross domestic products per head on the continent.Urban unemployment and desire for a change have boosted support for Mogae’s opponents in a country viewed as a model for the rest of Africa.The opposition parties are the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) and the Opposition Alliance consisting of the Botswana Alliance Movement (BAM) and PACT.The opposition have split the anti-government vote, virtually ensuring Mogae’s victory in the British-style first-past-the-post election.Some ballot papers have had to be transported hundreds of kilometres to counting centres from remote villages in Botswana’s Kalahari desert.Observers said despite some administrative problems, the election looked to have been fair and free.”It’s my eighth African election and I’d say it compares very favourably in terms of fairness, openness and lack of any real hassle,” said British member of parliament Roger Gale, monitoring the count.In one constituency, the result is a foregone conclusion as former army commander Ian Khama Seretse Khama, son of Botswana’s first president and once a paramount chief of the country’s largest ethnic group, is unchallenged.Mogae is not up for election, but will retain power if he remains leader of the largest party.His 10-year term ends in 2008 and Sandhurst-trained Khama will probably lead the country into elections in 2009.- Nampa-ReutersFormer International Monetary Fund economist Mogae’s Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has won every election in the southern African country, which has one of the world’s highest HIV-infection rates, since independence from Britain in 1966.Of the three known results, the BDP had two seats, but 54 results were still to come.The opposition took a seat on the outskirts of Gaborone from the ruling BDP but in Francistown West in north Botswana, BDP won easily with 3 526 votes and the anti-government vote divided between two candidates with just over 1 500 votes apiece.”It proves that the opposition just split down the line,” said a western diplomat monitoring the elections.”I think that’s something you’ll see again and again across the country.”On Saturday, many people waited up to five hours in the blazing heat across a country bigger than France to vote as officials meticulously checked identities against voter rolls.Botswana’s diamond wealth has given the country one of the highest gross domestic products per head on the continent.Urban unemployment and desire for a change have boosted support for Mogae’s opponents in a country viewed as a model for the rest of Africa.The opposition parties are the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) and the Opposition Alliance consisting of the Botswana Alliance Movement (BAM) and PACT.The opposition have split the anti-government vote, virtually ensuring Mogae’s victory in the British-style first-past-the-post election.Some ballot papers have had to be transported hundreds of kilometres to counting centres from remote villages in Botswana’s Kalahari desert.Observers said despite some administrative problems, the election looked to have been fair and free.”It’s my eighth African election and I’d say it compares very favourably in terms of fairness, openness and lack of any real hassle,” said British member of parliament Roger Gale, monitoring the count.In one constituency, the result is a foregone conclusion as former army commander Ian Khama Seretse Khama, son of Botswana’s first president and once a paramount chief of the country’s largest ethnic group, is unchallenged.Mogae is not up for election, but will retain power if he remains leader of the largest party.His 10-year term ends in 2008 and Sandhurst-trained Khama will probably lead the country into elections in 2009.- Nampa-Reuters