GABORONE, Botswana (AP) — Botswana votes in a national election this week that will decide if the ruling party extends a 58-year stretch in power in a southern African country that is a leading diamond producer and often held up as one of the most stable and least corrupt democracies on the continent.
President Mokgweetsi Masisi of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party, or BDP, is seeking a second and final term in office, although Wednesday's election isn't directly for president. Voters will decide the makeup of Parliament and lawmakers will later elect the president.
While the BDP has dominated Botswanan politics since independence from Britain in 1966, this election comes amid new economic uncertainty for a nation that relies heavily on diamond mining. Botswana is the second biggest producer of diamonds behind Russia and has been responsible for all the biggest rough gems found in the past decade, but it has experienced decreased revenue for its diamonds because of a downturn in demand.
Sales of rough diamonds at Debswana, the company the Botswana government jointly owns with the De Beers Group and a critical source of state revenue, were down nearly 50% in the first half of 2024, according to authorities. That has put a dent in the public purse and raised criticism of Masisi and the BDP for not taking steps to diversify the economy.
Unemployment has risen and stands at more than 27%, with youth unemployment above 45%. Government employees have been receiving their salaries late as a result of the tight financial position, taking the shine off of Botswana's reputation for efficient government and raising fears that austerity measures may be required.
“It is the first time in more than four decades that the state coffers are negative," said opposition politician the Rev. Prince Dibeela. “There are also more than 200,000 young people who are employable but cannot find work. We are a very fragmented society.”
The ruling BDP has promised to focus on diversifying Botswana's small economy, which has a GDP of $21 billion. Diamond mining and sales account for 80% of Botswana’s exports, a third of fiscal revenue and a quarter of the GDP, according to the International Monetary Fund, which has also said there's an urgent need for diversification.
“The Botswana Democratic Party stands ready to serve the people of Botswana with promises that resonate deeply with their aspirations," said Lebogang Kwape, the Deputy Secretary-General of the BDP and the current foreign minister. “We have listened intently to the voices of all Batswana (people of Botswana) and crafted a manifesto that directly responds to their needs with realism and sincerity.”
He said the BDP would put emphasis on processing mineral resources for new revenue streams, while also building the agriculture and tourism sectors.
Just over a million people have registered to vote, according to the Independent Electoral Commission that runs elections, with the increasing unemployment rate a key issue for voters. Botswana is larger than France but has a population of just 2.5 million, with the Kalahari Desert covering large portions of the landlocked country that borders South Africa. Drought and desertification threaten Botswana's development and the livelihoods of many of its people.
Three men have registered to challenge Masisi for president: Duma Boko of the main opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change party, Dumelang Saleshando of the Botswana Congress Party and Mephato Reatile from the Botswana Patriotic Front.
The election will also revive Masisi's feud with former President Ian Khama, the man he succeeded as Botswana's leader and then fell out with.
Khama, the son of Botswana's founding president, quit the BDP and went into exile in South Africa in 2021, accusing Masisi of taking an authoritarian approach to criticism. Khama was charged with illegal possession of a firearm and receiving stolen property in a criminal case he said was politically motivated to silence him.
Khama returned to Botswana in September to attend a court hearing and has campaigned for the Botswana Patriotic Front in an attempt to oust Masisi.
The 63-year-old Masisi is a former high school teacher and previously worked for the United Nations Children's Fund. He is just the fifth president of Botswana since it gained independence from Britain.
AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
FILE - Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi addresses the the Summit of the Future, in the United Nations General Assembly, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
FILE - Botswana's Olympic Gold Medalist for the 200 meters Letsile Tebogo, left, sits next to Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi during a welcome home ceremony at the Sir Seretse Kahama international airport in Gaborone, Botswana, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi holds the 2,492-carat diamond that was unearthed at one of its mines and will be put on show, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, in Gaborone. (AP Photo, File)
U.S. forces have boarded another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea. The announcement was made Friday by the U.S. military. The Trump administration has been targeting sanctioned tankers traveling to and from Venezuela.
The pre-dawn action was carried out by U.S. Marines and Navy, taking part in the monthslong buildup of forces in the Caribbean, according to U.S. Southern Command, which declared “there is no safe haven for criminals” as it announced the seizure of the vessel called the Olina.
Navy officials couldn’t immediately provide details about whether the Coast Guard was part of the force that took control of the vessel as has been the case in the previous seizures. A spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard said there was no immediate comment on the seizure.
The Olina is the fifth tanker that has been seized by U.S. forces as part of a broader effort by Trump’s administration to control the distribution of Venezuela’s oil products globally following the U.S. ouster of President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid.
The latest:
Richard Grenell, president of the Kennedy Center, says a documentary film about first lady Melania Trump will make its premiere later this month, posting a trailer on X.
As the Trumps prepared to return to the White House last year, Amazon Prime Video announced a year ago that it had obtained exclusive licensing rights for a streaming and theatrical release directed by Brett Ratner.
Melania Trump also released a self-titled memoir in late 2024.
Some artists have canceled scheduled Kennedy Center performances after a newly installed board voted to add President Donald Trump’s to the facility, prompting Grenell to accuse the performers of making their decisions because of politics.
Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum says that she has asked her foreign affairs secretary to reach out directly to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio or Trump regarding comments by the American leader that the U.S. cold begin ground attacks against drug cartels.
In a wide-ranging interview with Fox News aired Thursday night, Trump said, “We’ve knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by water and we are going to start now hitting land, with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico. It’s very sad to watch.”
As she has on previous occasions, Sheinbaum downplayed the remarks, saying “it is part of his way of communicating.” She said she asked her Foreign Affairs Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente to strengthen coordination with the U.S.
Sheinbaum has repeatedly rebuffed Trump’s offer to send U.S. troops after Mexican drug cartels. She emphasizes that there will be no violation of Mexico’s sovereignty, but the two governments will continue to collaborate closely.
Analysts do not see a U.S. incursion in Mexico as a real possibility, in part because Sheinbaum’s administration has been doing nearly everything Trump has asked and Mexico is a critical trade partner.
Trump says he wants to secure $100 billion to remake Venezuela’s oil infrastructure, a lofty goal going into a 2:30 meeting on Friday with executives from leading oil companies. His plan rides on oil producers being comfortable in making commitments in a country plagued by instability, inflation and uncertainty.
The president has said that the U.S. will control distribution worldwide of Venezuela’s oil and will share some of the proceeds with the country’s population from accounts that it controls.
“At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House,” Trump said Friday in a pre-dawn social media post.
Trump is banking on the idea that he can tap more of Venezuela’s petroleum reserves to keep oil prices and gasoline costs low.
At a time when many Americans are concerned about affordability, the incursion in Venezuela melds Trump’s assertive use of presidential powers with an optical spectacle meant to convince Americans that he can bring down energy prices.
Trump is expected to meet with oil executives at the White House on Friday.
He hopes to secure $100 billion in investments to revive Venezuela’s oil industry. The goal rides on the executives’ comfort with investing in a country facing instability and inflation.
Since a U.S. military raid captured former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, Trump has said there’s a new opportunity to use the country’s oil to keep gasoline prices low.
The full list of executives invited to the meeting has not been disclosed, but Chevron, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips are expected to attend.
Attorneys general in five Democratic-led states have filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s administration after it said it would freeze money for several public benefit programs.
The Trump administration has cited concerns about fraud in the programs designed to help low-income families and their children. California, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois and New York states filed the lawsuit Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The lawsuit asks the courts to order the administration to release the funds. The attorneys general have called the funding freeze an unconstitutional abuse of power.
Iran’s judiciary chief has vowed decisive punishment for protesters, signaling a coming crackdown against demonstrations.
Iranian state television reported the comments from Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei on Friday. They came after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei criticized Trump’s support for the protesters, calling Trump’s hands “stained with the blood of Iranians.”
The government has shut down the internet and is blocking international calls. State media has labeled the demonstrators as “terrorists.”
The protests began over Iran’s struggling economy and have become a significant challenge to the government. Violence has killed at least 50 people, and more than 2,270 have been detained.
Trump questions why a president’s party often loses in midterm elections and suggests voters “want, maybe a check or something”
Trump suggested voters want to check a president’s power and that’s why they often deliver wins for an opposing party in midterm elections, which he’s facing this year.
“There’s something down, deep psychologically with the voters that they want, maybe a check or something. I don’t know what it is, exactly,” he said.
He said that one would expect that after winning an election and having “a great, successful presidency, it would be an automatic win, but it’s never been a win.”
Hiring likely remained subdued last month as many companies have sought to avoid expanding their workforces, though the job gains may be enough to bring down the unemployment rate.
December’s jobs report, to be released Friday, is likely to show that employers added a modest 55,000 jobs, economists forecast. That figure would be below November’s 64,000 but an improvement after the economy lost jobs in October. The unemployment rate is expected to slip to 4.5%, according to data provider FactSet, from a four-year high of 4.6% in November.
The figures will be closely watched on Wall Street and in Washington because they will be the first clean readings on the labor market in three months. The government didn’t issue a report in October because of the six-week government shutdown, and November’s data was distorted by the closure, which lasted until Nov. 12.
FILE - President Donald Trump dances as he walks off stage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
