Botswana's president was to step down yesterday, handing over power in the kind of smooth transition for which the southern African country is known -- one that contrasts sharply with the political turmoil in Zimbabwe.
On a continent where leaders are often accused of holding on long past their mandate, Botswanan President Festus Mogae, 69, is stepping down even before the end of his second term -- the last he constitutionally allowed. That allows Vice President Seretse Ian Khama, son of Botswana first's president Seretse Khama, to run as an incumbent in elections next year.
"I retire a proud citizen," Mogae said at a farewell rally held by the ruling Botswana Democratic Party on Saturday. "Let me advise those leaders in similar circumstances: Leave when the time for you to leave comes, and you will be embraced with love by your people."
PHOTO: AFP
While Mogae may claim to set a standard for democracy, activists and opposition members here complain about "automatic succession."
The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), in power since the former British protectorate gained independence in 1966, virtually anoints the next head of state. The BDP is expected to continue its dominance in the face of a weak and divided opposition.
"The danger is that it provides for a dynastic succession which has been the trend since Seretse Khama," Chris Maroleng from the Institute for Strategic Studies in South Africa said.
In South Africa, a bruising internal battle in the governing African National Congress was hailed by some as a sign of the strength of democracy there. South African President Thabo Mbeki, nearing the end of his second and constitutionally mandated last term, had sought to continue as president of his party, which would have given him great influence over national affairs. Mbeki's rival Jacob Zuma won the internal race and now stands poised for the presidency.
Mogae has presided over a decade of economic growth and political stability.
Botswana is the world's largest producer of diamonds, which has transformed it from one of the world's poorest countries to one of the wealthiest in the region.
Diamonds account for a third of the country's GDP but the country still suffers from high levels of poverty and unemployment, challenges Khama will have to face.
Mogae came to power in 1998, succeeding former Botswanan president Ketumile Masire, and was re-elected in October 2004.
Khama is a former army commander expected to reunite the party after splits emerged for the first time over his succession. He now enjoys support among most party members, Maroleng said.
Botswana's population is largely homogeneous, making it unlikely the country would ever see the kind of ethnic tensions that rocked Kenya after elections there earlier this year.
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