Botswana 1999

In 1999, the population of Botswana was estimated to be around 1.5 million people. The economy of Botswana was largely based on mining, tourism, and agricultural exports. Its foreign relations were mainly with other African countries such as South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. Politically, Botswana in 1999 was a presidential republic under President Festus Mogae. The Prime Minister was Kenneth Koma and his party held a majority in Parliament. The country had a unicameral parliamentary system known as the National Assembly of Botswana. See ethnicityology for Botswana in the year of 2018.

Yearbook 1999

Botswana 1999

Botswana. In the October parliamentary elections, Botswana’s Democratic Party, BDP, won its eighth straight electoral victory since the country’s independence in 1966. The party progressed strongly, taking 33 of the 40 seats that were at stake. In second place came Botswana’s national front, BNF.

Visit Countryaah official website to get information about the capital city of Botswana. President Festus Mogae, who is the leader of the BDP, was subjected to harsh criticism from the opposition for the way in which the preparations for the elections were conducted. During the election campaign, Mogae was forced to call for a state of emergency to be able to recall the dissolved parliament and ask it to extend the time for voter registration. Tens of thousands of people would otherwise not have been able to register.

  • Also see Abbreviationfinder.org to see the acronym of BWA which stands for Botswana and other definitions of this 3-letter abbreviation.

Map of Botswana Gaborone in English

But from the newly elected parliament, Mogae gained the confidence to continue as president. He had taken over the presidential post the year before, since his representative resigned before the end of office. When Mogae was sworn in for the second time, he said that the government’s overall goal is to fight poverty and unemployment. It is estimated that nearly 50% of the population lives in poverty, and unemployment is expected to be close to 35%. The widespread spread of AIDS has reduced the population’s estimated average life expectancy to 40 years.

At the same time, diamond exports give the country high macroeconomic growth, calculated at 6% in 1998/1999. That figure was still a decline from previous years due to falling diamond prices.

In a dramatic event just before the election, Air Botswana lost three of its four aircraft. It was one of the company’s pilots who committed suicide by flying into the set planes at the airport at the capital Gaborone.

In December, the International Court of Justice in The Hague declared that Botswana has the right to a disputed island in the Chobe River, which forms a border with Namibia. The dispute has in the past almost led the two countries to war with each other.

History. – With a growing economy and a stable and democratic political system, Botswana continued to remain one of the most virtuous countries in the entire African continent. Power remained firmly in the hands of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), winner of all electoral rounds since 1965. After the retirement of Festus Gontebanye Mogae, in office from 1998 to 2008, the presidency was assumed by Ian Khama, reconfirmed in office after the victory of the BDP in the 2009 elections. Like his predecessor, Khama was faced with fundamental issues not still resolved: a more equitable re-distribution of wealth, a diversification of the economy, based almost exclusively on the extraction of diamonds, and the fight against AIDS. The prevalence rate of the virus remained among the highest in the world, despite the government’s efforts to guarantee free medicines to HIV-positive individuals, with serious social consequences: high mortality, low population growth and strong absenteeism at work. Repeated criticism from international and local organizations met the development plans of the diamond and tourism industry, often carried out at the expense of indigenous populations victims of relocation and expropriation. In particular, numerous protests sparked the decision taken in 2014 by the government to ban hunting in nature reserves for Bushmen, but not for trophy hunters, and the authorization granted to a mining company to extract diamonds in the Central Kalahari game nature reserve. reserve. In October 2014, the new legislative elections confirmed the pre-existing political structures. The BDP won the majority of seats, despite a strengthening of the oppositions gathered in the coalition called Umbrella for democratic change (UDC), and Khama was confirmed as president. Very active in the region, the Botswana maintained good relations with neighboring countries, especially with South Africa, one of its main trading partners.

About the author