Cape Town — Botwana's Chief Justice Terrence Rannowane has declared Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) presidential candidate, Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi, the winner of the country's October 23 election, local newspaper the Botswana Daily News is reporting.

Masisi is the country's current president.

The paper says the BDP won 29 of the 57 parliamentary seats in the general elections.

Poloko Tau, writing for South African newspaper the City Press, says that national elections were contested in 57 parliamentary constituencies and, as dictated by the country's Constitution, any party with a presidential candidate that wins more than 50% of those constituencies takes the helm.

Results are still being tallied, but AFP reports that pre-election polling showed the BDP would win the vote but return to parliament with a reduced majority.

The election was preceded by political infighting. The country's former president, Ian Khama, campaigned against Masisi, his successor, after forming a breakaway party. Masisi came to power in April 2018 after Khama had served the maximum 10 years.