Polls have opened in Botswana on Wednesday as citizens vote in a crucial general election. Voting started at 6:30 a.m, local time (0430 GMT) and close at 7 p.m local time.
The election is seen as a major test for the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) which has been in power for the past five decades.
Botswana is one of southern Africa’s wealthiest and most stable nations but still has a major task of transforming its economy further.
More than 900,000 registered voters are participating in the election to choose between the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) and a coalition of opposition parties under the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC).
“Everything started well even though there are some polling stations that started later than 6:30am. So far most polling stations are experiencing large turn out.” Osupile Maroba, IEC #Elections2019 pic.twitter.com/yNO3yAOSah
— Mmegi (@MmegiOnline) October 23, 2019
Coming into the election, incumbent President Mokgweetsi Masisi could not secure the support of his predecessor, Ian Khama.
The former President is now backing the opposition coalition led by Gaborone lawyer Gideon Duma Boko.
“We remain resolute and confident that we are going to win this election,” Boko told a news conference ahead of the election.
“I can only accept the result if the election is free and credible,” he said warning about possible fraud.
Diamond has been the backbone of Botswana’s economy but mining has fallen to a fifth of GDP in 2018.
Growing the economy further and providing jobs for the many unemployed youth will remain a priority for who ever wins.
Source: Africafeeds.com
