Botswana s President Khama wins new term.

Byline: Reuters

GABORONE: Botswana s President Ian Khama secured a new five-year term on Sunday, extending his rule over the world s largest diamond producer, after his governing BDP party swept to victory in a parliamentary election.

Khama s party extended its majority in parliament by capturing one more seat than before Saturday s election

"I d like to congratulate the BDP, parliament members and councillors for winning the 2009 election, and also members of the opposition for giving us competition at the election," said Khama, addressing thousands of supporters clad in his party s red colours at a rally in a dusty football pitch in Gaborone.

Chief Justice Julian Nganunu said Khama, son of the country s first president, would remain at the helm of the southern African nation, which is battling a recession and hit by internal party squabbling.

"I have the honour and privilege to declare Ian Khama Botswana s president as his party has garnered more than enough seats," Chief Justice Julian Nganunu said on state radio. To select a president, the winning party needs to win 29 of the 57 parliamentary seats.

The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) -- in power since independence in 1966 -- won 45 of the 57 constituencies, while the main opposition party Botswana National Front won 6 constituencies and its splinter party the Botswana Congress Party captured 4, Osupile Maroba, a spokesman for the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), told Reuters by phone.

One seat went to the Botswana Alliance Movement, and the final seat went to an independent candidate. Maroba said Khama would be inaugurated this week.

Botswana has been hit hard as a global economic slowdown cuts demand for diamonds, which account for close to 40 percent of the economy. The landlocked country has sunk into debt and gross domestic product is forecast to shrink 10 percent.

But investors still regard Botswana as one of Africa s gems, with a history of budget surpluses and the region s strongest currency, a sharp contrast to neighbouring Zimbabwe, which is crippled by political and economic turmoil.

Khama is one of the most vocal critics of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe s policies, and told South Africa s Financial Mail weekly last week a power-sharing arrangement in Zimbabwe was an affront to democracy.

Despite its popularity, the BDP s support has waned after fierce infighting intensified charges of autocracy and populism against Khama, a British-trained army lieutenant-general.

"We had not expected the BDP to win with such a large margin. We thought the opposition parties would do much better ... The trouble is that there was also infighting within the main opposition party," said Zibani Maundeni, political analyst at the University of Gaborone.

Despite rising discontent, many voters do not blame the economic crisis directly on the BDP, under which annual per capita income has risen to more than $5,000.

Botswana s Vice President Mompati Merafhe told Reuters the ruling party was ready to tackle its internal divisions and said education and job creation remained its main challenges.

"We are ready because we are coming back with a very strong mandate, as the figures would have indicated to you," he said."The recession is a worldwide phenomenon, so it s not for Botswana as a single entity to try and give an undertaking that we will come out of it."

The BDP won 52 percent of the vote in the last election in 2004. In the recently dissolved parliament, it held 44 seats while the BNF had 12 and the BCP had 1.

Muscat Press and Publishing House SAOC 2009

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