The battle for the South- (Part II)
Friday, October 20, 2023 | 360 Views |
![Masisi PIC: KENNEDY RAMOKONE](https://cdn4.premiumread.com/?url=https://www.mmegi.bw/mmegi/uploads/images/2023/10/20/89989.jpg&w=800&q=72&f=jpg&t=1)
Masisi PIC: KENNEDY RAMOKONE
The passing of the baton of power to President Mokgweetsi Masisi by his predecessor Ian Khama in 2018, anointing his then favourite (Masisi) as the fifth State President has seemingly been an undisputable game changer in the party’s north-south political divide.
The succession must have energised the southern region to welcome the newly anointed taskmaster with a vote of approval. For the longest time, the ruling party has not been performing so well in the constituencies south of the Dibete cordon fence, leaving the areas a natural stronghold for the opposition and in particular, the Botswana National Front (BNF) of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC).
The BDP as a party known to have ample resources has always held its primaries well in time, but this time around that was not the case. The first leg of the primaries was held last weekend, with the final leg being billed for the coming weekend. This time around, the BDP failed to shine in its primary elections. The elections were chaotic; most if not all polling stations didn't open at the specified time of 6am. Loyal BDP members braved the...