13 Nov 2025

Botswana, a country held in reverence globally as a virtuous exemplar of democracy on the African continent, should work on increasing female representation in Parliament to further cement its democratic credentials.

The President of India, Ms Droupadi Murmu expressed the views while paying a courtesy call on the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Dithapelo Keorapetse in Gaborone on November 12.

Upon learning that only six members, the deputy speaker, four cabinet ministers and one opposition legislator, constituted the female contingent of Botswana’s 69-member National Assembly, Ms Murmu called for the country to think of measures to increase their representation.

Welcoming, Ms Murmu, Mr Keorapetse concurred that Botswana needed to work on strengthening the representation of women in the parliamentary chambers.

He said the country’s first past the post electoral process, had not made it easy for affirmative action measures to increase female and youth representation.

Nonetheless, he said the country could assess how to improve the political representation to more adequately reflect the nation’s demographics.

Mr Keorapetse said after the 2024 general elections which ushered in the 13th Parliament, there had been a high turnover of representatives, with 60 per cent of Members Parliament (MPs) being first time legislators, who required training on legislative and oversight parliamentary committee functions.

To that end, Mr Keorapetse said, after a courtesy call to his office by Indian High Commissioner, Ambassador Bharath Kuthati, earlier this year, a discussion had commenced about the Botswana Parliament exploring training and benchmarking for MPs and parliamentary staff at India’s upper and lower chambers of Parliament as well as regional assemblies.

“Our two countries have excellent relations that have existed for nearly 60 years now and they will be further cemented by this, the first visit by an Indian head of state to Botswana, a woman who will inspire our young female population to aspire to leadership,” Mr Keorapetse said.

In her visit to Parliament, Ms Murmu was accompanied by the Union Minister of State for Railways, Mr Veeranna Somanna and two Indian MPs. ENDS