This is the first time in the history of Botswana for the incumbent to be challenged for the top job
President of Botswana Mokgweetsi Masisi during a state visit to China on August 31 2018. Picture: ROMAN PILIPEY / REUTERS
President Mokgweetsi Masisi is squaring off against a former foreign minister, Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, who is backed by Masisi’s predecessor and rival, Ian Khama. “This time around, it’s a new experience,” Leonard Sesa, University of Botswana political science lecturer said. Venson-Moitoi’s unprecedented challenge against a sitting president could upset the stability of the party and even lead to a split, analysts suggest.
In 2018, Khama had picked his then-vice president Masisi to succeed him after serving the maximum 10 years in office. But Masisi has moved to break with the past and establish his own authority since his inauguration a year ago.“He had a nature, a character which I just felt very close to and part of. What I’m seeing now is a totally different person than the one I knew,” Khama said.
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