US embassy cable - 05GABORONE1539

UNCLAS  GABORONE 001539 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
AF/S FOR MUNCY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, BC, Political Parties 
SUBJECT: BYE-ELECTION VICTORIES HEARTEN OPPOSITION 
 
1. (U)  SUMMARY:  Botswana's opposition parties scored a 
victory by combining forces to win a parliamentary seat and a 
local council seat in an October 15 bye-election.  The 
President of Botswana's largest opposition party, the Botswana 
National Front (BNF), Mr. Otsweletse Moupo bested wealthy 
philanthropist and Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) candidate 
Robert Masitara in the race to occupy a vacant parliamentary 
seat.  More important than the seats won is the possible 
precedent this sets for opposition parties to oust ruling BDP 
politicians from office by cooperating in the next general 
election.  The bye-election also saw the first instance of a 
privately-owned newspaper openly endorsing a candidate, in 
this case the opposition candidate, an act decried by the BDP 
campaign manager.  Moupo's victory against the well-funded 
Masitara indicates that Botswana's multi-party democracy 
remains vibrant and competitive despite 40 years of domination 
by the BDP.  END SUMMARY. 
 
MONEY CAN'T BUY VOTES 
 
2. (U)  In an October 15 bye-election for the Gaborone West 
North National Assembly seat vacated by the late Paul Rantao 
(BNF), Otsweletse Moupo, President of the BNF, defeated BDP 
candidate and wealthy philanthropist Robert Masitara. 
Masitara attracted attention by handing out food and even one 
hundred pula notes to audience members.  Despite his 
considerable financial advantage and ostentatious generosity, 
Masitara lost decidedly.  His candidacy had provoked 
widespread criticism, especially from women's groups, because 
he is currently facing charges for allegedly having raped an 
employee.  Moupo will now take over as Leader of the 
Opposition, offering him a larger platform from which to 
articulate an alternate policy agenda and providing the 
opposition a more effective champion. 
 
OPPOSITION TAKES COUNCIL SEAT FROM BDP 
 
3. (U)  Political parties also contested for a council seat in 
the village of Ramotswa, southwest of Gaborone, on October 15. 
Opposition parties united behind a candidate from the Botswana 
Congress Party to win the seat, which had been vacated due to 
the death of its erstwhile occupant from the BDP.  Although 
just a council seat, this victory gave tangible support to the 
contention that opposition parties finally could make good on 
their promise to cooperate to overcome the BDP. 
 
4. (U)  After the announcement of the results in Ramotswa, BDP 
campaign manager Matshediso Fologang said BDP lost because of 
the factions within the party, noting that the candidate and 
the MP for the area came from different sides of the party. 
He added that divisions within the party are so intense that 
voters are starting to question the party's ability to deliver 
on campaign promises, and predicted declining fortunes for the 
BDP in that constituency. 
 
PRIVATE PAPER ENDORSES CANDIDATE FOR FIRST TIME 
 
5. (U)  For the first time in Botswana, a newspaper explicitly 
endorsed a candidate for political office.  The front page of 
the October 14 edition of Mmegi, Botswana's only privately- 
owned daily, urged readers to "Vote Moupo!"  Although the 
independent press generally is considered sympathetic to the 
opposition, no paper had ever clearly endorsed a particular 
candidate before.  Mesh Moeti, editor of the Mmegi newspaper, 
told the embassy Political Assistant that he felt it was their 
responsibility as a newspaper to articulate a clear position 
on an important election.  As if anticipating criticism from 
the ruling party, Moeti observed that endorsing a candidate is 
a standard practice the world over and that Mmegi would 
support a BDP candidate if they conclude that he or she were 
the most qualified. 
 
6. (U)  BDP Executive Secretary Comma Serema predictably but 
improbably blmed his party colleague's loss on Mmegi's 
headlies.  Masitara's dejected campaign manager hinted drkly 
that this incident exposed the need for someaspects of the 
electoral regulations to be refored.  On October 18, the BDP 
registered a complaint with the Media Complaints Committee, a 
body established by the media sector to help regulate the 
conduct of its members, arguing that the endorsement violated 
"the standards of journalism and the code of ethics."  In an 
October 20 conversation with Pol Assistant, Serema explained 
that BDP submitted a complaint to test whether or not the 
recently established Committee would take action against an 
"erring" paper but did not sound intent on pursuing the issue 
further. 
 
VICE PRESIDENT REBUKES ELECTION OFFICIAL 
 
7. (SBU)  In the week leading up to the election, Vice 
President Khama reportedly visited the Secretary of the 
Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to complain that an IEC 
official had made partisan remarks against Masitara's 
candidacy.  In a conversation with Pol Assistant, an IEC 
employ indicated that this intervention had left his 
colleagues "scared" of the potential consequences of voicing 
their opinions unguardedly.  Whether the Vice President merely 
intended to promote the professional and impartial conduct of 
elections or sought to quiet a critic, the incident 
contributed to a perception of him as intolerant of opposing 
views. 
 
BYE-ELECTIONS:  ANOTHER COST OF HIV/AIDS 
 
8. (U)  The elections for the Gaborone West North 
parliamentary seat and the council seat in Ramotswa were the 
fifth and sixth bye-elections since the October 30, 2004, 
general election necessitated by the death of an incumbent or 
candidate.  Although it is rare for families to acknowledge 
that a loved one died because of HIV/AIDS, the absence of a 
known cause of death indicates a high probability that these 
politicians died from an AIDS-related illness.  In addition to 
the administrative costs of conducting the elections, 
constituents suffer the political cost of losing experienced 
representatives prematurely. 
 
COMMENT 
 
9. (U)  Botswana's multi-party democracy is vital and 
increasingly competitive after nearly forty years of 
domination by the Botswana Democratic Party.  Cooperation 
among opposition parties and a bolder independent press are 
strengthening political plurality.  Persistent divisions 
within the ruling party are creating new opportunities for 
opposition politicians.  The peaceful conduct of the elections 
and universal respect for their results testifies to the 
strength of Botswana's democratic institutions. 
 
CANAVAN 
 
 
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