With only a week before the 2024 general elections, Presidents of the contesting political parties will on Thursday lock horns in a Public Debate to sell their manifesto and make a last-minute pitch to woo voters to their side.
President Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), Duma Boko of Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), Dumelang Saleshando of Botswana Congress Party (BCP) and Mephato Reatile of Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) will face off in the debate.
In the next five days following the presidential debate, Botswana will be transformed into one huge freedom square, as politicians across the political divide go for the jugular before the October 30th polls.
Open Race
Political analyst, Kitso Morekisi believes that for now it is not clear which party will win the elections by winning the 31 constituencies threshold to form a government. He said political campaigns have intensified as parties launch candidates across the country.
"This is one of the toughest elections to predict a winner right away. The three parties of UDC, BDP and BCP have done their assignments very well in terms of preparations. BPF just launched its manifesto, and the party today can't even focus on unpacking it but rather continues to unleash attacks on Masisi and BDP as its patron Ian Khama does in all his political rallies," said Morekisi.
According to Morekisi, the presidential debates on Thursday will set the tone for the party leaders to secure victory for their parties at the polls come October 30th, adding that all eyes will be on UDC's Boko who in the past presidential debates received lot of criticism based on some of Setswana language descriptions he used to refer to his opponents then, particularly BDP's Masisi.
MANIFESTOS
UDC
The coalition comprises of three political formations, Botswana National Front (BNF), Alliance for Progressives (AP) and Botswana Peoples Party (BPP).
The UDC in its manifesto is putting emphasis on delivering decent work and decent renumeration, proposing a P4 000 Living Wage, which has been highly criticized by the ruling BDP as unlikely to achieve.
In 2019, UDC had proposed a P3 000 living wage. Moreover, the UDC through their 2024 manifesto themed Inclusive Growth, Quality Lives is proposing to pay P1500 monthly old age pension allowance. Launching the manifesto in August, Boko said the UDC will transform Botswana into a regional hub in Tourism and Hospitality, Transportation and Infrastructure, Banking and Finance, Innovation and ICT, Education and Health.
He promised that the UDC will do away with the over-regulation of the business environment which impedes business and frustrates economic growth.
BDP
BDP says they will create over 300 000 jobs with most of the jobs coming from tourism, mining and agriculture value chains. The party launched its manifesto in September during a national congress in Tlokweng.
The BDP said it will diversify the tourism industry to include culture, cuisine and sports tourism and develop legislation that promotes citizen inclusion. It is also committed to increasing citizen participation in the high-end tourism market through reserving land concessions and providing support for their growth.
Masisi said the manifesto, themed: Changing Together, Building Prosperity, was not just a political document, but a blueprint for a future where every Motswana could thrive. He said the manifesto was not just a collection of promises, but an achievable plan based on realities.
BCP
Like the UDC, BCP is also proposing to pay a P4 000 living wage to the working class and create over 100 000 jobs when it is elected to power.
The BCP's promises to foster inclusive growth for every Motswana, promoting social justice and ensuring good governance across Botswana. During the launch of the BCP manifesto in May, Saleshando said given an opportunity to lead Botswana, they will create 300 000 new jobs by 2029, adding that BCP's ambition is to
see each household in Botswana having ab breadwinner who has a well-paying job. Furthermore, the BC will introduce an unemployment grant of P600 per month while the old age pension would be increased to P1 500 per month.
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BPF
BPF manifesto themed Build Back Botswana was launched two weeks ago by Reatile and BPF patron Ian Khama in Serowe.
Under agriculture, BPF said it will revive and modernize the ISPAAD programme with a package of subsidies on fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides.
It also proposes to develop a National Health Service (NHS) that will incorporate and address all aspects and concerns of the deteriorating health service in Botswana.
Reatile said the BPF manifesto provides a roadmap by which a range of reforms will be implemented not just changing the bureaucratic mentality but changing thew way systems operate from constitutional reforms, land, agriculture and foreign policy to mention but just a few.
He said procurement laws will be enhanced to close loopholes that might lead to corruption as it is currently the case under the BDP government.
