Khama and automatic succession
Friday, May 12, 2017
It is a well-documented fact that at the height of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) factional bickering, former president Sir Ketumile Masire initiated Constitutional amendment to make provision for automatic succession.
The initiator of automatic succession wanted to settle once and for all the question of succession. It was intended to create some semblance of political order, avert possible power struggles and ensure a smooth and peaceful transfer of power from one leader to another. The immediate beneficiary of automatic succession would later be former president, Festus Mogae in 1998 and later the sitting President, Ian Khama in 2008. Without watering down the demerits of automatic succession, it is credited for serving the nation well during the period of transition from Masire regime to Mogae and from Mogae to Khama.
The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...