Historic power shift in Botswana means change is coming, new president says

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JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA — Fresh from a remarkable upset that ousted a ruling party that had been in power since independence six decades ago, new Botswana President Duma Boko says he wants to follow a neutral foreign policy but a disruptive agenda closer to home. 

A key U.S. ally in Africa long seen as a beacon of democratic stability on the continent, Botswana under the long-ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) piled up more problems domestically than outsiders may appreciate, Mr. Boko, a 54-year-old Harvard-trained human rights lawyer, told The Washington Times in an interview.

Mr. Boko, whose Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) coalition of parties won a landslide victory in last week’s election, said he favored an even-handed, neutral foreign policy, noting it has “worked well for Switzerland.” But he said the new government would work to liberalize the Botswana economy and promised to give journalists greater access to the workings of government. 

“Botswana has peddled a myth that the economy is sound, business is easy, and the media is free and transparent,” he said. “The truth is elsewhere, and it’s time to put things right.”

The United States and its NATO partners have repeatedly condemned what they claim are fraudulent elections in neighboring Zimbabwe. But in Botswana — among Washington’s closest allies in Africa — there has been little scrutiny. At the United Nations, Botswana invariably votes with the West, including on all the motions condemning Russia and its war in Ukraine.

In the previous election of 2019, Mr. Boko’s party won just 17 seats and complained that the process had been rigged in favor of President Mokgweetsi Masisi and the BDP, a claim long made by opposition groups. This time, the UDC recruited thousands of volunteers who monitored voter registration throughout the year. 

Opinion polls have shown a growing perception of graft and improper conduct under the BDP, and journalists critical of the government said they risked being harassed by the police. But the massive size of the opposition’s win was a surprise.

Mr. Boko’s biggest challenge will be youth unemployment, where one out of four young Botswanans under 30 are out of work as diamond prices worldwide have slumped. His government will also have to reach a deal with the London-based Anglo American and its subsidiary de Beers which controls the diamond sales that account for a majority of the country’s exports. 

Earlier this year, Australian mining giant BHP tried to buy Anglo American for just under $50 billion. The offer was rejected and in its wake the London firm announced it would sell de Beers. But with the rise of factory-made gems and the price of diamonds in free fall, thus far there have been no takers.

During his campaign, Mr. Boko pledged to form a global consortium to buy de Beers and move its headquarters to the capital, Gaborone, describing the diamond giant’s role in the economy as “corporate colonialism when a firm in London holds so much sway over a nation in Africa.”

He also plans to use revenue from diamonds and the other key exports, coal and beef, to diversify the economy. Walking through a supermarket in Gaborone, most of the goods are imported from South Africa, a situation Mr. Boko wants to change.

“We must review the laws on foreign investment,” he said. “Work permits are a nightmare in Botswana, but we will make it easier for skilled staff from outside the country to settle here and steer their new business while training our own people.”

The collapse of the BDP, which has held a comfortable majority in parliament since the landlocked country gained independence from Britain in 1966, marks a trend for “legacy” parties on the continent to be spurned by voters.

South Africa’s May vote saw the long-ruling African National Congress fail to get a majority and be forced into a humiliating coalition government. Mozambique has been rocked by violence since opposition parties challenged the victory claims in the October vote by the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), which has dominated the country since independence from Portugal in 1975.

By contrast, there has been praise for the grace with which Mr. Masisi conceded defeat in Botswana. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hailed the UDC win as a “historic victory” that he said reflected “the voice of the people of Botswana in shaping their future”. 

Despite the economic challenges ahead, Mr. Boko radiated confidence that his new government was up to the job.

“We will make Botswana an easy place to do business, with a super-competent public service, and no corruption,” he said.