Botswana flag Botswana: Economic and Political Overview

The political framework of Botswana

Political Outline

Current Political Leaders
President: Mokgweetsi Masisi (since 1 April 2018) ; the president is both chief of state and head of government.
Next Election Dates
Parliamentary:  October 2024
Presidential: October 2024
Main Political Parties
The main political parties/coalitions in Botswana are:

- Botswana Democratic Party (BDP): centre to centre-right, conservative (dominant part since the independence of Botswana, in 1966)
- Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC): a political alliance of centre to left-wing parties between BCP, BNF, BPP, and BPF.
- Botswana Congress Party (BCP): centre to centre-left, social democrat
- Botswana National Front (BNF): centre-left, Christian left, social democratic (major opposition)
- Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF):centre to centre-right, populist party
- Botswana People's Party (BPP): left-wing, social democrat, pan-Africanist
- Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD): centre, liberal
- Alliance for Progressives (AP) : centre, liberal.

Executive Power
The executive power is exercised by the government. The President of Botswana is both chief of state and head of government, as well as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The president is elected indirectly by the National Assembly for a 5-year term (eligible for a second and final-term). The vice-president is appointed by the president; however, the appointment is subject to endorsement by the National Assembly.
Legislative Power
The legislative power is vested both in the government and the National Assembly. The unicameral Parliament has 63 members, 57 of which are directly elected in single-seat constituencies by a first-past-the-post vote. Four members are nominated by the president and are elected indirectly by a simple majority vote by the rest of the National Assembly, while the remaining two (the President and  the Attorney General) are ex officio members of parliament. The National Assembly has an advisory body - Ntlo ya Dikgosi - formed of 35 members: 8 hereditary chiefs from Botswana's principal tribes, 22 indirectly elected by the chiefs, and 5 appointed by the president. The advisory body consults on issues regarding powers of chiefs, customary courts, customary law, tribal property, and constitutional amendments.
 

Indicator of Freedom of the Press

Definition:

The world rankings, published annually, measures violations of press freedom worldwide. It reflects the degree of freedom enjoyed by journalists, the media and digital citizens of each country and the means used by states to respect and uphold this freedom. Finally, a note and a position are assigned to each country. To compile this index, Reporters Without Borders (RWB) prepared a questionnaire incorporating the main criteria (44 in total) to assess the situation of press freedom in a given country. This questionnaire was sent to partner organisations,150 RWB correspondents, journalists, researchers, jurists and human rights activists. It includes every kind of direct attacks against journalists and digital citizens (murders, imprisonment, assault, threats, etc.) or against the media (censorship, confiscation, searches and harassment etc.).

World Rank:
38/180
 

Indicator of Political Freedom

Definition:

The Indicator of Political Freedom provides an annual evaluation of the state of freedom in a country as experienced by individuals. The survey measures freedom according to two broad categories: political rights and civil liberties. The ratings process is based on a checklist of 10 political rights questions (on Electoral Process, Political Pluralism and Participation, Functioning of Government) and 15 civil liberties questions (on Freedom of Expression, Belief, Associational and Organizational Rights, Rule of Law, Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights). Scores are awarded to each of these questions on a scale of 0 to 4, where a score of 0 represents the smallest degree and 4 the greatest degree of rights or liberties present. The total score awarded to the political rights and civil liberties checklist determines the political rights and civil liberties rating. Each rating of 1 through 7, with 1 representing the highest and 7 the lowest level of freedom, corresponds to a range of total scores.

Ranking:
Free
Political Freedom:
3/7

Political freedom in the world (interactive map)
Source: Freedom in the World Report, Freedom House

 

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Latest Update: April 2024