- Title: Botswana's ruling BDP wins general election
- Date: 25th October 2019
- Summary: MOSHUPA VILLAGE, BOTSWANA (OCTOBER 23, 2019) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** BOTSWANA'S INCUMBENT PRESIDENT MOKGWEETSI MASISI GETTING VOTING CARD AT POLLING STATION RECEIVING VOTING CARD MASISI BEING USHERED TO CAST HIS VOTE MASISI IN VOTING BOOTH MASISI CASTING BALLOT (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." MOSHUPA VILLAGE, BOTSWANA (OCTOBER 22, 2019) (REUTERS) MASISI ARRIVING AT BOTSWANA DEMOCRATIC PARTY RALLY VARIOUS OF SUPPORTERS OF BDP AT RALLY VARIOUS OF MASISI ON PODIUM ADDRESSING HIS SUPPORTERS SUPPORTERS LISTENING TO SPEECH MASISI DANCING WITH HIS WIFE NEO MASISI AT THE RALLY MASISI LEAVING THE RALLY WITH WIFE NEO MASISI
- Embargoed: 8th November 2019 07:29
- Keywords: Botswana election BDP Masisi wins election Moshupa Botswana democratic party
- Location: MOSHUPA VILLAGE, BOTSWANA
- City: MOSHUPA VILLAGE, BOTSWANA
- Country: Botswana
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA001B2LI5AF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has won the general election after securing 29 national assembly seats, representing 51 percent of the vote, the chief justice announced on Friday (October 25).
Botswana voted on Wednesday (October 23) to elect 57 national assembly and 490 local government representatives, with the candidate of the winning party set to become president.
Chief Justice Terrence Rannowane said that the number of parliament seats attained so far by the BDP with the vote counting still ongoing, obliged him to say Mokgweetsi Masisi had been elected President.
The main opposition, the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), secured 13 seats while the Botswana Patriotic Front won three and the Alliance for Progressive only one, with 73% of the voting districts counted so far.
The BDP will now have to move swiftly to transform the economy. Since independence from Britain in 1966 the Botswana economy has grown at 8 percent a year to become one of Africa's most successful, but it is now at risk of coming unstuck because of over-reliance on a single commodity - diamonds.
Masisi stood on his record on tackling corruption, such as making the declaration of assets obligatory for public sector officials. He has also overseen a sharp reduction in bureaucracy for small businesses.
(Production: Siyabonga Sishi, Chiara Rodriquez) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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