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Elephants, Alcohol and Benefits Divide Botswana Ruling Party
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Party
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| Contributor | IndyGeorgia |
| Last Edited | IndyGeorgia May 01, 2019 09:45am |
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| Category | News |
| Author | Bloomberg News |
| News Date | Thursday, March 14, 2019 04:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | Botswana’s ruling party is in the midst of its worst crisis since taking power at independence from the U.K. in 1966 as a leadership battle rages ahead of an elective congress next month.
A political feud between President Mokgweetsi Masisi and his predecessor, Ian Khama, has exposed divisions within the Botswana Democratic Party as it’s preparing to hold a leadership vote on April 5 and contest general elections later this year. The rift is unusual in the world’s biggest diamond producer after Russia, and poses a threat to the party’s ability to retain the power it’s held since independence.
While Khama, 66, hand-picked Masisi to succeed him by appointing him vice president in 2014, the former allies have grown increasingly critical of each other since Masisi first of all allegedly denied his predecessor benefits and also set out to reverse some of his flagship policies, including a hunting ban on elephants and high levies on alcohol to curb consumption. Khama is now supporting a bid for the party leadership by Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, a former local government minister who was fired by Masisi when she announced she would challenge him next month.
“This is something so unusual, something that has never happened,” said Leonard Sesa, a political science lecturer at the University of Botswana. “If it was only about Venson-Moitoi challenging Masisi, it would be something welcome for democracy, but the underlying issues between the two leaders are putting our reputation as a country in danger.” |
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