Supporters of another opposition party – the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), which got the second largest share of the vote in 2019, came out in their numbers in the north of the capital, Gaborone.
Dressed in blue-and-white T-shirts and sun hats, they cheered leader Duma Boko.
Unlike Masisi, Boko generally remained serious, in order to emphasise how much the people were suffering under the BDP.
He alleged that there were attempts to rig the poll.
“I urge you all to be vigilant and after voting out the BDP you remain at the polling station to guard your vote,” he said.
Thapelo Dimpe, a 45-year-old former teacher, has no doubts about why he wants to see the president’s party defeated.
“Masisi has let us down on education reform. The UDC plans to invest in our schools and empower our youth with the education they deserve,” he said.
Although the government has a host of problems that could dent its support, opposition divisions could enable the BDP to stay in power.
Every MP is elected on a first-past-the-post basis, meaning that to win a seat, the BDP only needs the largest number of votes in a constituency rather than more than 50%.
In a seat where the UDC, BCP or BPF – or a number of other parties – are running, it could mean that the opposition vote is split, allowing the BDP to get in.
“These parties seem to have factionalism within themselves, they keep taking internal issues to the media – they are not really united,” political analyst Lesole Machacha told the BBC.
But he also pointed out that the BDP had its own problems.
“The ruling party is not 100% intact – it is also having issues. In some constituencies BDP politicians who were not happy with the primary process are running as independent candidates, which could divide that vote,” Mr Machacha said.
All this makes for a closely fought and unpredictable election, he added.
For one of Africa’s most successful political parties, the question now is whether enough people are convinced that it can oversee the change that the country needs.
Leave a Reply