Botswana is a parliamentary republic in which the President of Botswana is both head of state and head of government. The nation's politics are based heavily on British parliamentary politics and on traditional Batswana chiefdom. The legislature is made up of the unicameral National Assembly and the advisory body of tribal chiefs,the Ntlo ya Dikgosi. The National Assembly chooses the president,but once in office the president has significant authority over the legislature with only limited separation of powers.
The president of Sri Lanka is the head of state and head of government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The president is the chief executive of the union government and the commander-in-chief of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. The powers,functions and duties of prior presidential offices,in addition to their relation with the Prime minister and Government of Sri Lanka,have over time differed with the various constitutional documents since the creation of the office. The president appoints the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka who can command the confidence of the Parliament of Sri Lanka.
The Botswana Democratic Party is a centre-right political party in Botswana. From the country's inaugural election in 1965 until the 2024 general election the party governed the country without interruption for 58 years. At the time of its defeat,the BDP was the longest continuous ruling party in the democratic world.
Nicholas Le Quesne Herbert,Baron Herbert of South Downs,is a British Conservative Party politician and was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Arundel and South Downs from 2005 to 2019. He was Minister of State for Police and Criminal Justice,with his time split between the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice,from 2010 to 2012. On 5 November 2019 he announced his decision not to stand for re-election in the 2019 general election. On 31 July 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that Herbert would enter the House of Lords.
William Sterling Blair is a Canadian politician and former police officer who has served as the minister of National Defence since 2023. A member of the Liberal Party,Blair represents Scarborough Southwest in the House of Commons. Blair previously held the portfolios of Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction and minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. Before entering politics,Blair worked for four decades with the Toronto Police Service (TPS),serving as the chief of police from 2005 until retiring in 2015.
Unity Dow is a Motswana lawyer,author,human rights activist and Member of parliament for Kgatleng West since November 2024. She formerly served as a judge on the High Court of Botswana and in various Botswana government ministries. Born in Botswana to a seamstress and a farmer,who insisted on their children obtaining an education,Dow grew up in a traditional rural village before modernisation. She earned a law degree in 1983 from the University of Botswana and Swaziland,though her studies were completed in Swaziland and University of Edinburgh,Scotland,as Botswana had no law school at the time. After her graduation,Dow opened the first all-woman law firm in Botswana and in 1997 became the first woman to be appointed as a judge to the country's High Court.
Mompati Sebogodi Merafhe was a Botswana politician who was Vice-President of Botswana from 2008 to 2012. He was a retired Lieutenant-General and served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1994 to 2008.
Phandu Tombola Chaka Skelemani is a Motswana politician who is the former speaker of the National Assembly of Botswana having served from 2018 to 2024. He served in the government of Botswana as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2008 to 2014. A member of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP),Skelemani was a Member of Parliament in the National Assembly of Botswana,a position he vacated following the defeat of the Botswana Democratic Party in November 2024,and a member of the Pan-African Parliament from Botswana,and he served as Attorney-General of Botswana from 1992 to 2003.
Albert Kawana is a Namibian politician. A member of SWAPO,Kawana has been a member of the National Assembly and cabinet since 2000,serving in various positions. Since April 2021 he has been minister of Home Affairs,Immigration,Safety and Security. A lawyer by training,Kawana led Namibia's legal team in the Kasikili Island dispute,which was argued before the International Court of Justice.
Maithripala Yapa Sirisena is a Sri Lankan politician who served as the seventh president of Sri Lanka from 9 January 2015 to 18 November 2019. Sirisena is Sri Lanka's first president from the North Central Province of the country and does not belong to the traditional Sri Lankan political elite. He entered as a member of parliament from Polonnaruwa back in 2020 and ended his tenure in 2024.
Seretse Khama Ian Khama is a Botswana politician and former military officer who was the fourth President of the Republic of Botswana from 1 April 2008 to 1 April 2018. After serving as Commander of the Botswana Defence Force,he entered politics and was Vice-President of Botswana from 1998 to 2008,then succeeded Festus Mogae as President on 1 April 2008. He won a full term in the 2009 election and was re-elected in October 2014.
Gladys Keitumetse Theresa Kokorwe is a Botswana politician who was the Speaker of the National Assembly from 2014 to 2019. She is a member of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).
The Ministry of Defence and Security of Botswana aims to provide safety,protection and promote human rights and rule of law via the implementation of pertinent policies and programming in order to achieve peace and tranquility. The ministry oversees the following departments:
The High Court of Botswana is a superior court of law in Botswana. It is based in Gaborone with branches in Lobatse,Francistown,and Maun. It operates above the Magistrates' Courts of Botswana,but below the Appeal Court. The High Court is headed by the Chief Justice of Botswana.
Thapelo Matsheka is a Motswana politician and economist who served as the Minister of Finance and Economic Development from November 2019 to April 2021. He was elected as the Member of the National Assembly for Lobatse in October 2019. He is a member of the Botswana Democratic Party. Matsheka is the former Managing Director of Fiducia Services.
Botswana continued to address the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022,including the discovery of the COVID-19 variant Omicron BA.4 and BA.5,with COVID-19 restrictions being relaxed in October. Continued disputes took place regarding the Botswana–Namibia border,though an open border was established in September. The rivalry between President Mokgweetsi Masisi and his predecessor Ian Khama escalated in 2022,accelerated by firearms charges against Khama and a warrant for his arrest. The government also saw controversy for its support of bills that would grant it additional espionage powers and regulate journalists.
Machana Ronald Shamukuni is a Botswana politician that has served as the Minister of Justice since the department's creation in 2022. He is a member of the National Assembly for the constituency of Chobe.
Biggie Ganda Butale is a Motswana politician and the current leader of the Botswana Republican Party (BRP) since 14 November 2023. He previously served as the Member of Parliament for Tati West in the 11th Parliament from 2014 to 2019. Butale,the founding President of the Botswana Patriotic Front from July 2019 to July 2023,was ousted following a leadership dispute. Subsequently,he established the BRP on 14 November 2023.
Mmusi Kgafela is a Botswanan politician and educator. He is the current Minister of Trade and Industry in Botswana,having been appointed to the position in 2019 by the current president of Botswana,Mokgweetsi Masisi. His term began on 13 February 2022. He is also a member of parliament for Mochudi West Constituency.
Dithapelo Keorapetse is a Botswana politician who is the current Speaker of the National Assembly of Botswana since November 2024. A Member of Parliament from 2014 to 2024,he previously was the Leader of the Opposition from 2022 to 2024. He is affiliated with the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC),having been expelled from the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) in 2022.
