Botswana
Landlocked country in central southern Africa, bounded south and southeast by South Africa, west and north by Namibia, and northeast by Zimbabwe.
Government
Botswana is a multiparty democracy, with an executive president. It has been dominated by the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which has held power without interruption since independence, but rival parties operate freely. Its 1965 constitution blends the British system of parliamentary accountability with representation for each of Botswana's major ethnic groups. It provides for a national assembly of 40 members – 36 popularly elected for five-year terms and four appointed by the assembly itself – with membership expanding after each 10-year census. The president is chosen by the national assembly after the legislative elections and is answerable to it. The president, who is head of state and government, appoints a cabinet that is answerable to the assembly. The president may delay a bill for up to six months and then either sign it or dissolve the assembly and call a general election. An advisory 15-member house of chiefs comments on draft bills of tribal concern. It comprises chiefs of Botswana's eight principal ethnic groups, four members elected by the chiefs themselves, and three elected by the house in general.History
The first inhabitants were the Kung, the hunter-gatherer groups living chiefly in the Kalahari Desert; from the 17th century the Tswana people became the principal inhabitants of the area, followed by the arrival of Bantu peoples in the early 19th century. Fearing an invasion by Boer farmers (descendants of Dutch settlers) from the Transvaal, the local rulers appealed to Britain, and Bechuanaland (as it was originally called) became a British protectorate in 1885.On passing the Union of South Africa Act (1910), making South Africa independent, the British Parliament provided for the possibility of Bechuanaland becoming part of South Africa, but stipulated that this would not happen without popular consent. Successive South African governments requested the transfer, but Botswana preferred full independence.
The 1960 constitution provided for a consultative legislative council. This was under British High Commission control until 1964, when Britain accepted democratic self-government. The newly formed Bechuanaland Democratic Party (BDP) won the democratic elections. Its leader, Seretse Khama, who had been deposed as chief of the Bamangwato tribe in 1950 and had since lived in exile, was elected the first president.
Achieved independence
In 1966 the country, renamed Botswana, became an independent state within the Commonwealth with Seretse Khama as president. He continued to be re-elected until his death in 1980, when he was succeeded by the vice-president, Dr Ketumile Masire, who remained president until 1998. The BDP also won large majorities in the legislative elections.Relations with South Africa
Since independence Botswana has earned a reputation for stability. It is a member of the non-aligned movement. South Africa accused it of providing bases for the African National Congress (ANC) prior to the legalization of the organization in 1990, and Botswana was the target of several cross-border raids by South African forces. The presence of ANC bases was always denied by both Botswana and the ANC. Normal relations were restored with South Africa in 1994.Economic growth
Festus Mogae, of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), became president in 1998. Botswana had enjoyed remarkable economic growth during his decade-long tenure as finance minister. The country's vast diamond wealth had made it the world's biggest producer by value terms, estimated at $1.82 billion in 1997. This led to Mogae coming under pressure from opposition parties to spend more of the diamond-generated wealth to combat the country's high unemployment rate of around 20%.How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
| ?Page tools | ||
|---|---|---|
|
?Sign in  |
|---|