17 Jun 2018

The ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has triumphed over the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) to retain Moshupa/Manyana parliamentary seat during a by-election held on Saturday.

The youthful Mr Karabo Gare of the BDP won by 4 093 votes while Mr Jonathan Sethono of the UDC got 1 530 votes. There were 101 spoilt votes.

The Moshupa /Manyana parliamentary seat fell vacant after Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi was elevated to be a Head of State on April 1.

President Masisi was among electorate who cast their votes at YWCA Day Care Centre in Moshupa. The returning officer, District Commissioner Mmoloki Ralotobana thanked the candidates and voters for conducting themselves well during the by-election.

He said the elections went well except an incident where two electorate from Moshupa and Manyana came with Omang receipts instead of valid Omang cards.

In an interview after the results announcement, Mr Gare said he was going to pick up where Mr Masisi left off, adding that a win was a vote of self-confidence on him.

He thanked all those who voted for him and also appreciated opposition members for the competition.

He said he would use the platform to encourage residents to take up the available citizen empowerment programmes and better their lives. Mr Gare is an accountant by profession and intends to assist his electorate with business plans.

He promised to avail water to the constituents and make a follow up about the long-awaited Moshupa hospital and other developments in general.

Meanwhile, Mr Sethono of the UDC accepted the results; he said it was the beginning, adding that he would come again well prepared during the general elections next year. Mr Sethono encouraged UDC members to work cooperatively and also raised a concern about the low turn-out at the polling stations.

The constituency has been in BDP hands ever since independence. ENDS