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WORLD NEWS Thursday 24 OcTOber 2019

Botswana votes as ruling party faces surprising challenge

By SELLO MOTSETA gested that he is trying to
Associated Press extend his influence.
GABORONE, Botswana (AP) Botswana's president after
— Botswana faced its tight- voting simply noted the
est election in history on country's stability and "pre-
Wednesday as the long- dictability in terms of con-
peaceful southern African duct" and he expressed
nation wondered if the rul- concern about the hot
ing party would be toppled weather: "I would hope
for the first time since inde- that the people will protect
pendence. themselves from the heat
The ruling Botswana Demo- and I ask you to drink lots of
cratic Party and President water, wait patiently in line
Mokgweetsi Masisi have and cast your vote," Masisi
been presented with a said.
surprising challenge after Despite the tensions among
former President Ian Kha- political leaders, voting ap-
ma broke away and an- peared calm.
nounced his support for "The good thing we have
an opposition coalition in- managed to maintain as
stead. Batswana is that people do
Khama hand-picked Masisi not fight against one an-
as his successor when he People line up to vote right before closing time in Botswana's general elections at the Bosele other. People are chatting
stepped down last year fol- Primary school in Gaborone Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019. to each other," said Sam
lowing two terms in office Associated Press Modise, who arrived at a
in the diamond-rich coun- ly supported the opposi- cess smooth. His campaign age posted online by South polling station at 5 a.m.
try. But Masisi then moved tion coalition Umbrella for pledges included creating African broadcaster EWN. "This helps a lot in terms of
away from some of Kha- Democratic Change and 100,000 jobs in his first year "We've just seen somebody maintaining our democ-
ma's policies, including by its presidential candidate, in office and providing free who became drunk on racy. If somebody misbe-
loosening restrictions on el- human rights lawyer Duma sanitary pads to girls across power," Khama asserted. haves it will be an isolated
ephant hunting to appeal Boko. the country. "It's just astonishing." case."
to rural voters. "With their vote they will re- Khama said Wednesday The election could hinge He added: "My wife and
Opposition leaders say write the history of this coun- he had become "extreme- on whether people support I are not necessarily vot-
their coalition could unseat try," a buoyant Boko said, ly disappointed" with his Khama's move. Some in Bo- ing for the same party but
the ruling party for the first indicating the long lines at former party after assum- tswana have criticized the it doesn't affect our rela-
time since independence a school in the capital, Ga- ing Masisi would build on its former president's rejection tionship. She has her own
in 1966. Khama has open- borone. He called the pro- legacy, according to foot- of his own party and sug- views."q

Ukraine's president urges lawmakers to take polygraph test

By NATALIYA VASILYEVA Ukraine’s Special Anti-Cor- the committee, anti-cor-
Associated Press ruption Prosecutor’s Office ruption agencies will deal
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — earlier on Wednesday an- with these lawmakers,”
Ukraine’s president on nounced an investigation he said. “I’m not going to
Wednesday urged a group into reports concerning 11 allow anyone inside the
of lawmakers to take a lie lawmakers from the Ser- faction or outside to cast
detector test to show they vant of the People party. the shadow on the politi-
are not involved in a wid- Zelenskiy, who has been cal movement that won a
ening corruption scandal. on a visit to Japan since majority mandate from the
Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s rul- early this week, put out a Ukrainian people.” David
ing party has been shaken statement on Wednesday Arakhamiya, head of the
by local media reports that urging all members of the Servant of the People fac-
several of its members at Rada’s finance committee tion at the Rada, told the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during talks
the Supreme Rada accept- to take the polygraph test Ukrainska Pravda website with journalists in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019.
ed up to $30,000 in bribes to dispel the rumors or face on Wednesday that almost Associated Press
each for pushing through the consequences. all the members of the fi- arguably best-loved come- ruption and pushed for a
an amendment this month “If this test reveals even nance committee have al- dian, won the presidential snap parliamentary elec-
that would benefit prop- the slightest possibility ready agreed to undergo election in April by a land- tion shortly after that, argu-
erty companies linked to that any of the lawmakers the test. Zelenskiy, a po- slide on a promise to battle ing that the previous Rada
another lawmaker. took money for voting at litical novice and Ukraine’s the country’s endemic cor- was too corrupt.q