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 Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) rules as a dominant party;while elections in Botswana are considered free and fair by observers,the BDP has controlled the National Assembly since independence. Political opposition in Botswana often exists between factions in the BDP rather than through separate parties,though several opposition parties exist and regularly hold a small number of seats in the National Assembly.
The president of the Republic of Botswana is the head of state and the head of government of Botswana,as well as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces,according to the Constitution of Botswana.
Festus Gontebanye Mogae is a Botswana politician and economist who served as the third President of Botswana from 1998 to 2008. He succeeded Quett Masire as President in 1998 and was re-elected in October 2004;after ten years in office. He stepped down in 2008 and was succeeded by Lieutenant General Seretse Khama Ian Khama.
The Botswana Democratic Party is the governing party in Botswana. Its chairman is the Vice-President of Botswana,Slumber Tsogwane,and its symbol is a lift jack. The party has ruled Botswana continuously since gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1966. The BDP is sometimes classified as a paternalistic conservative party and is also a consultative member of the Socialist International since 2014,which is a group including many worldwide social-democratic parties.
The National Assembly is the sole legislative body of Botswana's unicameral Parliament,of which consists of the President and the National Assembly. The House passes laws,provides ministers to form Cabinet,and supervises the work of government. It is also responsible for adopting the country's budgets. It is advised by the Ntlo ya Dikgosi,a council of tribal chiefs which is not a house of Parliament.
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.
Moutlakgola Palgrave Kediretswe Nwako was a former politician and diplomat in Botswana. Nwako served as the first foreign minister from 1966-1969. He was Speaker of the National Assembly of Botswana from 1989 to 1999.
The Constitution of Botswana commenced on September 30,1966.
Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi is a Botswana journalist and politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Botswana from 2014 until December 2018. She was appointed to the National Assembly of Botswana in 1999 as one of the four specially selected members and was re-elected in the 2004 general elections.
His Excellency Onkokame Kitso Mokaila is the ambassador for Botswana to the United States of America. He was elected to the National Assembly in the October 2004 general election,representing the governing Botswana Democratic Party.
Mbiganyi Charles Tibone is a politician in Botswana. He was elected to the National Assembly in the October 2004 general election from the Tati West constituency and represents the governing Botswana Democratic Party. Following the election,Tibone was appointed as Minister of Minerals,Energy and Water Resources on November 9,2004,serving in that position until January 2007,when he was instead appointed as Minister of Labour and Home Affairs. When Ian Khama took office as president on April 1,2008,he dismissed Tibone from the Cabinet.
Neo Moroka is Chairman of De Beers Botswana. He formerly was a politician in Botswana,serving as Minister of Trade and Industry from 2004 to 2009.
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.
Ponatshego Honorius Kefaeng Kedikilwe is a Motswana politician who was Vice-President of Botswana from 2012 to 2014. A member of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP),he has also served as Minister of Minerals,Energy,and Water Resources since 2007.
Margaret Nnananyana Nasha is a Botswana politician who served as the Speaker of the National Assembly from 2009 to 2014. She was the first woman to hold the position.
Tilak Janaka Marapana PC is a Sri Lankan lawyer. He was the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Development Assignments. He is a Member of Parliament appointed from the national list and had served as Minister of Law and Order,Prison Reforms from September 2015 to November 2015 and Minister of Defence (2001–2003) and Minister of Transport,Highways and Aviation (2002–2004). As Minister of Defence,he was the only non Presidential or Prime Ministerial holder of the portfolio. A lawyer by profession and a President's Counsel,he had served as a government prosecutor in the Attorney General's Department for twenty six years,serving as Solicitor General and Attorney General.
Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi is the fifth and current President of Botswana,serving since 2018. He served as the 8th Vice President of Botswana from 12 November 2014 to 1 April 2018. He was a Member of Parliament in the National Assembly for the Moshupa-Manyana constituency from 2009 to 2018.
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).
Slumber Tsogwane is the current Vice President of Botswana and also Member of Parliament for Boteti West. He is the longest serving Member of Parliament of the 12th Parliament of Botswana. He took office on 4 April 2018,succeeding Mokgweetsi Masisi. He is a member of the Botswana Democratic Party.
General elections were held in Botswana on 23 October 2019 to elect MPs and local government councillors. Despite a high profile split in the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) in May 2019 when former President Ian Khama left the party and switched his support to the new Botswana Patriotic Front,the BDP's vote share increased to almost 53% as the party won 38 of the 57 elected seats in the National Assembly,a gain of one compared to the 2014 elections. The elections were the twelfth straight victory for the BDP.
