DEMOCRACY & REFORMS Botswana is the oldest and most stable democracy in Southern Africa and therefore internationally applauded as an African best practice example. The development-oriented Government has successfully used the revenues from diamond mining to improve infrastructure, education, and health services. Today Botswana is classified as a middle-income country striving to achieve even more. Botswana is member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), as well as of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU). Since 2004, the Botswana Minister of Trade and Industry has been given the mandate to lead the SADC negotiations with the EU for a regional Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) as stipulated by the Cotonou-Agreement. Ever since the first democratic elections in 1965 Botswana has been governed by the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP). Despite free and fair elections, opposition parties have never managed to seriously challenge the ruling party. The bi-cameral system is composed of the National Assembly (57 elected plus 4 nominated Members of Parliament) and the House of Chiefs (today 33 to 35 members, comprising the traditional chiefs of the Batswana (dikgosi) as well as representatives of other tribes). The president is elected by Parliament and then selects his cabinet as well as his Vice-President from its members. Since the system has strong executive features and centralised decision making powers in the Office of the President, the role of Parliament as legislature and control of Government is rather weak. Democracy is neither static nor isolated from the rest of the world. The challenges of a globalised economy and the need to cope with the social impact of rising unemployment, regional migration, and - most pressing - the scourge of HIV/AIDS define the political agenda. Therefore, activities of FES in Botswana concentrate on the support of major political and socio-economic reforms. Top of the page
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