Gaborone — Last week, when Lieutenant General Seretse Khama Ian Khama was inaugurated as Republican president, critics felt that his appointment was undemocratic, as he was not directly elected by popular vote on October 16.

Some even warned that the country might be descending into a dictatorship, charging that President Khama was allegedly a tyrant who did not value democracy.

Khama had ascended to the presidency in April last year, automatically succeeding president Festus Mogae who retired at the expiry of his 10-year term.In Botswana, there is no direct election of the President. A nominated presidential candidate automatically ascends to office when his/her political party wins the majority of parliamentary seats in a general election.

In the October 16, 2009 general election, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) scooped 45 parliamentary seats against six seats for the Botswana National Front (BNF), five for the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) and one for an independent candidate.

This eventually made the BDP leader Khama the winner of the 'presidential race'."This is totally undemocratic," said leader of the opposition Botswana Peoples Party (BPP) Bernard Balikani. "People should be given a chance to directly elect who they want to be president through the ballot," he said.

He said the system of indirect election is undemocratic as it gives power to an un-elected president. He is also opposed to the system of special nomination of Members of Parliament (MPs) attributing it to the "vast" powers that are vested in the President.

"You also find that the President, who has not been elected by the people, has more powers to elect specially elected MPs who also have not been elected by the electorate.

It's undemocratic," said Balikani.The BPP strongman said if there is a need to increase the number of MPs, then the aspirants must also stand for elections.

Balikani also expressed fear, noting that the powers of the President are gradually increasing. He cited the recent transfer back to the Office of the President (OP) of the departments of Broadcasting Services (DBS) and Information Services (DIS).

"Information is power. By taking control of the state media the President is going to have more powers. We are going to see a situation whereby the President and his party will get 90 percent coverage," he said.

Balikani said he also fears that the government is going to devise laws that will restrict the private media.

Botswana National Front (BNF) Publicity Secretary Moeti Mohwasa said the position of his party is that the governors, including the President, must be directly elected by the governed. He said the current situation whereby the President is elected by MPs is anti-democracy. "As a leader with such immense powers and authority, the President should enjoy legitimacy. This legitimacy can only be obtained from an election in which the voters themselves directly elect their leader or president," he said.

According to Mohwasa, it is unfortunate that the "nation ends up being led by an individual who wields so much authority and power bestowed on him by the Constitution" but has no role in his/ her election.

He indicated that lately there have been some concerns that the OP is concentrating so much power into its hands, adding that just after the general election, state media - Radio Botswana (RB), Botswana Television (Btv) and The Daily News were transferred to the Office of the President from the then ministry of communications, science and technology.

"One of the basic tenets of democracy is separation of powers. This is meant to ensure that there are checks and balances. This will not take place when the three arms of government, namely the Judiciary, Parliament and the Executive - fall under Office of the President," said Mohwasa.

However, BDP national elections coordinator Segaetsho Garekwe declared that it is wrong for people to think that the President is not elected. He said election of the President starts with the nomination at the High Court culminating in the election of the parliamentary candidates of that president.

He said some people were just being cynical. "People don't understand the concept of delegated responsibility. A group of individuals can be delegated to go and make or take decisions for and on behalf of a larger group."

Garekwe explained that the reason MPs are elected is that they should go and make or take decisions in Parliament for a larger group - that is the electorate - not in Parliament.He said these MPs make laws that are ultimately regarded as "the laws made by the electorate".

"The process that has been laid by the Constitution of Botswana is to the effect that our President is going to be elected in a certain way, be it all of us as Batswana in a representative capacity as laid down in the Constitution," he said. He noted that in as much as the electorate indirectly make laws through the MPs, they also elect the President indirectly through their elected MPs. "As we go for the elections we do so knowing that as we vote for an MP we are also voting for the presidential candidate who supports the parliamentary candidate - a fact well stated and followed to the letter by the BDP," said Garekwe.

He quashed the notion that the country was headed for a dictatorship under President Khama. He stated that saying Khama was a dictator "is a political game played by politicians who have run out of ideas" to counter his well-intended ideas for the nation.

"Firstly, we must understand what a dictator is. A dictator is someone who doesn't want anything good for anybody other than himself. He is someone who doesn't want anybody to arise side by side with him who will be equally or more liked than him, he's someone who's not sympathetic."On the contrary, Garekwe described Khama as a loving, kind and sympathetic leader. He said Khama is a man who cares about the welfare of his people and espouses dignity for all.

"Khama is a man who will not go to bed without knowing that all his people are provided with the necessary services. Surely these are not the attributes of a dictator," he quipped.

Garekwe added that Khama is a principled man who loves his country and his people and therefore wants everything to be carried out correctly and promptly. "I agree that we can accuse him of one thing - he is such a hard worker and he wants everybody to work so hard like himself so that this country can get even better," concluded Garekwe.Meanwhile, a youth in Francistown, Emang Tshukudu, 31, said she did not see anything wrong with the indirect election of the president. "Gakere his party has been elected, so automatically he has also been elected. It shows that the people have the trust in the party and its leader," she said.