Q&A: Botswana votes

President Festus Mogae is backed by the ruling party

Botswanans vote on Saturday for a new parliament, with the governing Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) favourite to win.

As parliament elects the president, this outcome would deliver a second term for the BDP-backed incumbent, President Festus Mogae.

What is at stake?

The government party and its presidential nominee believe they can maintain Botswana's reputation for social and economic stability.

While the spread of Aids has cast a shadow, with an estimated 39% of adults HIV positive, Botswana has been praised as the first African country to provide free anti-retroviral drugs.

The president has said that one of the government's main challenges is unemployment, which some put at twice the official rate of 20%.

Privatisation plans for some 30 state-owned enterprises have thus proved unpopular.

The opposition has accused the ruling party of allowing what it calls illegal land acquisition by prominent business people.

Another controversial issue has been the eviction of bushmen from the Kalahari Game Reserve, after diamonds were found there.

The government insists no-one has been forced out, but the bushmen are challenging the move in court.

How does the vote work?

Voters elect 57 MPs to the National Assembly for a five-year term.

The figure was raised, from 40 in 1999, after a census showed the population had soared by about 60% to 1.6 million.

Voting is "first-past-the-post", so each of the 57 constituencies returns one MP.

These elected members then appoint another four MPs taken from the ruling party.

FACTS AND FIGURES 57 MPs are directly elected Over 10 parties contesting 7 MPs (including president and speaker) indirectly elected or appointed 4 of 15-member House of Chiefs also directly elected

They also elect the country's president, the attorney-general and the parliament Speaker. All three join the ranks of MPs, bringing the total to 64.

Each party selects its own presidential candidate, so the party with the highest number of MPs is guaranteed to win.

Four members of a 15-member parliamentary advisory body on tribal matters, the House of Chiefs, is elected at the same time.

Of the remainder, eight are the chiefs from eight tribes, while three are elected by all the other members. These three must belong to the Batswana tribe.

Who is standing?

With up to 13 parties standing, a splintered opposition is unlikely to mount a serious challenge to the favourite.

The governing Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has been in power since 1966. It won 33 of the 40 seats in 1999, with 54% of the vote. Its support lies in rural areas, while its leadership is drawn from richer rural dwellers and older members of the urban middle class.

The party chose President Mogae as its presidential candidate in an uncontested party election in April.

The main opposition party, the Botswana National Front (BNF), got six seats with 26% of the vote in 1999.

THE 1999 ELECTION 40 directly elected seats Ruling BDP won 33 seats with 54% of vote Main opposition BNF won 6 seats with 26% of vote BCP won 1 seat with 12% of vote

The BNF's growing base is in the rapidly expanding urban areas among the younger middle and working classes, and in some conservative rural areas.

It has joined forces with the smaller Botswana People's Party and the Botswana Alliance Movement. These chose BNF leader, Otsweletse Moupo, as their joint presidential candidate.

Other parties include the Botswana Congress Party (BCP), formed prior to the 1999 election, after 11 MPs defected from the Botswana National Front. The BCP got one seat in 1999 with 12% of the vote.

The New Democratic Front (NDF) is the most recent splinter from the Botswana National Front.

Who can vote?

All citizens aged 18 or above are eligible unless disqualified for insanity, insolvency or a prison sentence.

Voter registration ended in March, but initial interest was low, so the deadline was extended by over a week.

Voter apathy has been a concern, with one study attributing this to a lack of political education and a growing culture of "chieftainship" - the notion that leaders are born, not elected.

Who can stand?

Anyone who can vote is also eligible to stand. Candidates however must pay 500 pula (around $100) to register.

Campaign costs are high and observers have complained that the electoral system favours rich candidates.

Are there any observers?

The whole process is supervised by a seven-member Independent Electoral Commission. The commission has for the first time invited international monitors.

These include the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Commonwealth, as well as the European Union, the African Union and the United Nations.

South African President Thabo Mbeki has been tasked by the SADC with ensuring that all elections in the region are fair.

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.