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Botswana President Mokgweetsi, Eric Keabetswe Masisi, faces former Foreign Minister Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi as the ruling party's candidate in the presidential election in October. By TIMOTHY A. CLARY (AFP / File)
Botswana's ruling party on Friday named President Mokgweetsi Masisi in this year's general election, after his rival left the race at the eleventh hour.
It was the first time in the history of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which has ruled the country since independence, more than half a century ago, that the president in office was facing a public challenge for the position of senior official.
Former Foreign Minister Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi withdrew his candidacy a few hours before the vote of party members, denouncing the process as a "sham".
Now without opposition, Masisi should be elected president in national elections in October, facing a fragmented opposition.
In his acceptance speech, Masisi promised to "do his best … to lead this party not only to victory in 2019 (but also) in 2024".
"Thank you for your support," he told delegates at the party meeting.
Botswana has a presidential term of two terms. Masisi took over from Ian Khama as head of the country last year, after being chosen by hand, but will participate in his first election this year. If he wins, his first official term will start then.
Masisi praised Venson-Moitoi's "gallant and lively campaign" and urged party members "to adopt the democratic practice of competition".
He promised to reach out to Venson-Moitoi "and ask him to join me in uniting this party."
About 1,000 delegates attended a two-day meeting in the small rural town of Kang, located in the Kalahari Desert, 400 km northwest of the capital Gaborone.
BDP congresses have traditionally been rubber stamps for the incumbent's candidacy for re-election.
It was to be feared that the unprecedented challenge between Venson-Moitoi and a sitting president would upset party stability and even lead to a split.
& # 39; Election simulated & # 39;
Venson-Moitoi, who had Khama's support, boycotted the party congress.
"I'm going out of the race because I'm not going to promote it," she told reporters at her farm in Kang City on Friday morning.
Former Botswana Foreign Minister Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi is backed by Masisi's predecessor and rival, Ian Khama. By MONIRUL BHUIYAN (AFP / File) "This election was rigged before the start of the vote and the challenge will legitimize an imperfect process," she said.
The 57-year-old BDP has been running Botswana continuously since independence in 1966, presiding over a diamond-driven prosperity that stands out on a continent of poverty and turbulence.
Masisi and ex-president Khama – who also held Congress away on Friday – clashed publicly, Masisi canceling some policies presented by his predecessor.
The gap between Masisi and his predecessor was laid bare last month when Khama accused his protege of treason.
Khama had chosen his then Vice President, Masisi, to succeed him.
But Masisi decided to break with the past and establish his own authority since his inauguration a year ago.
In an interview with the neighboring SABC public broadcaster in South Africa, Khama said he regretted having chosen Masisi to follow him.
"He had a nature, a character that I felt very close to and that I was in. What I see now is a totally different person than I knew," Khama said.
"Unfortunately and very sadly … I realized that I may have misjudged him and that we are now in a situation where there is a certain impbade between him and me."
str-sn / ri / mlr
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