Botswana gets a new political party

  1. Posted on Tuesday 4 May 2010 - 13:25
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    Victor Baatweng, AfricaNews reporter in Gaborone, Botswana
    Some top officials of Botswana's ruling party, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) have formed a new rival party to be known as Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD). The six officials include three incumbent members of parliament, a banished former secretary general and a former member of the party's central committee who were suspended from the party recently.
    Botswana
    The new party spokesperson, Sidney Pilane who is also a former legal advisor of Botswana’s former president Festus Mogae is also among the dissidents. Some of the dissidents were suspended from the party some few weeks back by president Ian Khama after they were believed to have sided with the opposition in objecting to Khama's decision to unilaterally appoint four special elected members of parliament usually meant to be named by the ruling party.

    The new party spokesperson, Sidney Pilane said today that they have since submitted their constitution and party colours to the registrar of companies and organisations and awaiting their respond. Pilane also told the local media here that 25 out of the 45 elected members of parliament of the ruling BDP have since indicated that they will cross floor to the new party once everything is settled.

    The new grouping would be the first to split away from the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which has ruled Botswana since independence. Asked why they broke up, Pilane said the country's democracy had been under attack ever since Khama became president in 2008 and as such there is need to revamp it.

    President Khama is a former military chief and commander of Botswana Defence Force (BDF). Since ascending to the top office in the country in 2008 which his late father once held, Khama has come under criticism for what analyst calls autocratic style.

    In despite of all this he led the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) party to a landslide victory in the October polls last year.

    The BDP won 45 seats out of the possible 57 while the split opposition won 12 seats. The other four were special elected and are seen as one of the elements that led to the bickering within the BDP.

    The new splitter party has promised to work hand in hand with other opposition parties to topple the ruling BDP from power in the upcoming 2014 general elections.

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