GABERONE — Botswana’s high court on Tuesday dismissed petitions filed by the main opposition parties against the election result that returned the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) to a parliamentary majority. The BDP of President Mokgweetsi Masisi won the election in October with 38 seats – automatically making their candidate president – while the opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) got 15 seats, and two smaller parties got four between them. “On the face of the petitions, it cannot be deduced that the people or institutions which allegedly committed the corrupt and illegal practices are election or polling agents,” Justice Mercy Garekwe said. But its over-reliance on those same diamonds and high unemployment are now major policy challenges for its leaders. (Reporting by Brian Benza Editing by Tim Cocks)

Source: National Post December 24, 2019 15:33 UTC