02 Jun 2022

As Africa’s oldest continuous multiparty democracy, Botswana remains a beacon of good governance.

This was said by Institute of Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) secretary general, Dr Kevin Zamora when welcoming President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi to the organisation’s headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden Wednesday.

Dr  Zamora expressed admiration for efforts Botswana had made over the years in building democratic institutions in an environment that was not always fertile for them to flourish.

Acknowledging President Masisi’s visit as a sign of Botswana’s commitment to democratic  ideals, Dr Zamora said when the country chaired the IDEA Council of Member States in 2014,  it put more emphasis on democracy, management of natural resources and the environment.

For his part, President Masisi said Botswana was founded on the democratic ideals that IDEA stood for. “We wouldn’t have armed conflict, oppression, abuse of human rights, systems that don’t work if we all subscribed to IDEA,” Dr Masisi said.

He said the institution served as an ‘external lens’ through which Botswana saw itself.

“Our door is open at all times for you to study, to collect information to enrich IDEA and other members,” the President said.

IDEA is an intergovernmental organisation whose purpose is to support and strengthen democratic institutions and electoral processes across the world.

It has 34 member states from Africa, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and Pacific regions. Botswana became a member in 1997, just two years after IDEA’s formation.

The organisation has permanent observer status at the UN and is also a partner to the European Union and African Union.
IDEA focuses primarily on assisting countries and policy makers develop electoral processes, constitutions, political participation and democratic governance.

Earlier, during a panel discussion organised by three Swedish institutions, President Masisi informed his audience that post-independence, Botswana had maintained peaceful governance with democratic structures drawn from the traditional kgotla system.

“We are a people at peace with one another, we have unique governance systems that enforce and inculcate peace. We are democratic in our traditions. From village level, the way problems are sorted and judicial or quasi-judicial decisions are determined, is in a transparent and fair manner,” he said. ENDS