- Title: Botswana's president casts vote says he 'enjoys a challenge'
- Date: 23rd October 2019
- Summary: MOSHUPA VILLAGE, BOTSWANA (OCTOBER 23, 2019) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** BOTSWANA'S PRESIDENT MOKGWEETSI MASISI WALKING IN POLLING STATION MASISI'S MOTHER BEING ASSISTED TO VOTE, MASISI SITTING WITH HIS WIFE MASISI SITTING WITH WIFE NEO MASISI MEMBERS OF THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION SITTING MASISI RECEIVING VOTING CARD MASISI'S MOTHER VOTING MASISI BEING USHERED TO CAST HIS VOTE MASISI CASTING VOTE MASISI DROPPING VOTING CARD INTO BALLOT BOX, WALKING AWAY MASISI'S WIFE VOTING (SOUNDBITE)(English) PRESIDENT OF BOTSWANA MOKGWEETSI MASISI, SAYING; "Sure it's the toughest election we've have had to fight but you know I enjoy a test, I enjoy a challenge. I love campaigning." PEOPLE STANDING OUTSIDE VOTING STATION
- Embargoed: 6th November 2019 12:56
- Keywords: Botswana general election Botswana Democratic Party BDP President Mokgweetsi Masisi
- Location: MOSHUPA VILLAGE, BOTSWANA
- City: MOSHUPA VILLAGE, BOTSWANA
- Country: Botswana
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA001B2BIONB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi cast his vote on Wednesday (October 23) for a general election that is expected to provide the first genuine challenge to his ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) in its five decades of dominance over southern Africa's wealthiest and most stable nation.
Whichever party wins will have to move swiftly to transform the economy, which since independence from Britain in 1966 has grown at 8% a year to become one of Africa's most successful, but now risks coming unstuck because of over-reliance on a single commodity - diamonds.
Campaigning on promises to drive that economic transformation, Duma Boko, leader of the Umbrella for Democratic Change, is hoping to unseat the BDP of President Masisi. He is backed by former president Ian Khama, who handed over to Masisi last year but has since fallen into a bitter power struggle with him.
Of Botswana's population of 2.2 million people, 924,000 registered voters will elect 57 national assembly and 490 local government representatives. The winning party's candidate then becomes president.
(Production: Siyabonga Sishi, Soraya Ali) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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