GABORONE. — The Parliament of Botswana yesterday endorsed ruling party Member of Parliament Slumber Tsogwane as the country’s vice president.

Tsogwane was nominated by the new president Mokgweetsi Masisi who succeeded Ian Khama on April 1.

Out of the 54 MPs who were eligible for voting in the endorsement, 35 approved the nomination while only one opposed.

Most of the opposition MPs present either abstained or did not vote at all.

Following his swearing in as president, Masisi relinquished the post of party chairmanship and nominated Tsogwane to replace him, a move that was endorsed by the party central committee.

This had led many to belief that he was earmarked for the vacant vice-presidency post.

Tsogwane is the longest serving MP of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), having been in parliament since 1999.

He had also held several ministerial portfolios in his long political career, and he is currently the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development.

Meanwhile local political pundits have opined that Tsogwane would only serve as vice president for a short period until the 2019 general elections, where, if the BDP wins the president would appoint someone to hold the post for the long haul. – Xinhua </s> Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi has appointed Mr Slumber Tsogwane as his vice, the government confirmed on its online page.

Mr Tsogwane, 58, was Wednesday sworn-in as the Republic of Botswana’s 9th vice-president.

President Masisi, 55, was also expected to appoint his new cabinet soon, following his inauguration as Botswana’s fifth president on Sunday.

His swearing-in ceremony in parliament came after Ian Khama stepped down, ahead of completing the constitutional maximum 10 years in office.

Botswana is one of the Africa’s most stable countries and the continent’s longest continuous multi-party democracy.

It is rated as the least corrupt country in Africa by Transparency International and has a good human rights record.

But it has also struggled with rising unemployment rate of about 18 per cent and an HIV/AIDS epidemic.

“It is because of the peace and tranquillity that our leaders have sustained for so long that Batswana (people) have continued to enjoy relative prosperity,” President Masisi said Sunday after taking his oath.

“One of my top priorities as the president of this country will be to address the problem of unemployment, especially amongst the young people,” he added.

Mr Tsogwane is the MP for Boteti West constituency and the chairman of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).

Prior to his appointment as vice-president, he served as the Local Government and Rural Development minister.

Under his leadership, the ministry enhanced its monitoring systems for improved service delivery at the local level, while providing professional support to the authorities.

Mr Tsogwane has been the Boteti Constituency MP since 1999. He first joined the cabinet as an assistant minister for Finance and Development Planning in 2004.

The alumnus of the University of Botswana earned his Bachelor’s Degree in humanities in 1985.

Prior to joining politics, he served as a teacher and was promoted to a deputy secondary school head.

A passionate farmer, Mr Tsogwane enjoys playing and watching football and exercising in the gym. </s> Botswana prepared to inaugurate Mokgweetsi Masisi as president on Sunday in a ceremony designed to highlight a smooth handover of power in one of Africa's most stable countries.

Ian Khama, the son of Botswana's first post-independence leader, officially stepped down as president on Saturday after serving the constitutional maximum of 10 years in office.

His vice president, Masisi, will take over a county widely seen as a success story -- benefitting from good governance and lucrative income from its diamond, beef and tourism sectors.

It is rated as the least corrupt country in Africa by Transparency International, but has recently struggled with rising unemployment and tensions over the uneven sharing of its vast diamond wealth.

Khama finished a national farewell tour this week, bidding a months-long goodbye to the country's population of 2.2-million.

The government published photographs of Masisi attending Saturday's dress rehearsal for the inauguration. </s> The Southern African nation of Botswana has sworn-in its new president in the person of Mokgweetsi Masisi. The 55-year-old becomes the country’s 5th president.

He took the oath of office before the country’s national assembly in the presence of the Chief Justice, the Speaker of Parliament and his immediate predecessor, Seretse Khama Ian Khama.

The official oath was administered by Chief Justice Maruping Dibotelo. President Masisi went on to deliver his inaugural speech before inspecting a guard of honour mounted by the Botswana Defence Force.

Masisi takes over a nation widely reputed across the world as one of Africa’s beacons of democracy. The diamond rich nation is also seen as one with sound economic management despite a seeming over dependency on the natural resource.

Botswana law caps presidential tenures to two five-year terms, it allows the vice president to automatically fill the post should it become vacant. Khama came to power through a similar arrangement where he took over from the country’s third president Festus Mogae in 2008 before polls in 2009.

The National Assembly will elect a new president after elections scheduled for October 2019.

The immediate past president Ian Khama, 65, a retired army general who bowed out on March 31, 2018 after a nationwide farewell tour is known as a straight talker under whose watch the country all but broke diplomatic ranks.

The Khama-led government publicly criticised leaders including US President Donald Trump for an alleged slur against African countries and former Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe as well DRC’s Joseph Kabila for overstaying their welcome.

In his inaugural address, he touched on challenges and prospects the country faced as he takes charge, saying; “As you all know, Botswana faces a myriad of challenges such as unemployment, poverty, crime, HIV and AIDS, alcohol and drug abuse, amongst others.

“Therefore, one of my top priorities as the President of this country will be to address the problem of unemployment especially amongst the young people who constitute the majority of our population. The young people, who make 60% of the population of this country, are the future leaders and therefore investing in them is building the bridge to the future.

“The realisation of the demographic dividend is of paramount and strategic importance since the success of our youth is the only guarantee of the long term economic prospects of Botswana. It is imperative therefore, for Government to redouble its effort to optimise the participation of our youthful population in the economy of this country,” he stressed. </s> Botswana’s president Ian Khama has officially stepped down. The retired army general exited on Saturday handing the diamond-rich country to vice-president, Mokgweetsi Masisi.

Khama, a 65-year old bachelor, is known as a straight talker having publicly criticised leaders including US President Donald Trump for an alleged slur against African countries and former Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe as well DRC’s Joseph Kabila for overstaying their welcome.

55 year-old Masisi inherits a country that has for decades been heralded as a beacon of African democracy and sound economic management but faces a huge task of reducing the country’s dependence on diamonds.

Masisi, a trained teacher who has also worked for the United Nations Children’s Fund as an education project officer for eight years until 2003, was elected lawmaker in 2009.

He served in the president’s office as a minister of public affairs from 2011 until 2014 when Khama named him minister of education, a post he held until appointed Vice President last year.

He becomes only the third leader to take charge of the southern African nation outside the Khama political dynasty. The dynasty dominated national politics since independence from Britain in 1966.

Botswana law restricts the president to serving two five-year terms, and provides for the vice president to automatically fill the post should it become vacant.

The National Assembly will elect a new president after elections scheduled for October 2019. </s> GABORONE, April 1 (Reuters) - Botswana's new president, sworn in on Sunday as the landlocked country's fifth post-colonial leader, said he would give priority to tackling youth unemployment and diversifying its economy.

Retired teacher Mokgweetsi Masisi, who takes over from former army general Ian Khama, inherits a state with a reputation as one of Africa's rare political and economic success stories.

But he faces a huge task in attempting to reduce its dependence on the diamond trade while creating more jobs after collapsing commodity prices tipped it into recession in 2015.

"We still seek to build a Botswana in which sustained development is underpinned by economic diversification," Masisi told a cheering crowd in parliament. "One of my top priorities ... will be to address the problem of unemployment especially amongst the young."

Botswana, with a population of some 2 million, has a jobless rate of around 20 percent, with youth unemployment thought to be much higher.

Khama, 65, and a son of the country first president Seretse, bowed out after two five-year terms in a scripted succession that compelled him to hand over power to his deputy.

Masisi becomes only Botswana's third leader outside the Khama dynasty since its independence from Britain in 1966.

As part of efforts to branch out of diamonds, he also said his government would scale up access to technical education and set up initiatives in tourism, mining, beef and financial services.

But the country's opposition predicted little change, saying Masisi as deputy president was instrumental in an economic strategy that had failed to adapt the economy to the needs of a new generation of finance and science graduates.

"There is no need to celebrate, the change of guard will just be cosmetic. As vice president he... failed even at the time he was at the ministry of education," said a spokesman for the UDC opposition coalition, Moeti Mohwasa.

After working for United Nations Children's Fund, Masisi became a lawmaker in 2009. He served as a minister of public affairs from 2011 to 2014, when Khama named him minister of education and, later the same year, also vice president.

Viewed by the markets as more business-friendly than his predecessor, Masisi will serve as leader until national elections in October 2019, for which the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) is expected to name him as its presidential candidate.

The BDP has governed the country since independence but for the first time won less than 50 percent of the vote for the legislature in the previous election in 2014. Polls suggest its share will fall further in next year's ballot. (Writing by Tiisetso Motsoeneng; editing by John Stonestreet) </s> GABORONE - Botswana’s new president, sworn in on Sunday as the landlocked country’s fifth post-colonial leader, said he would give priority to tackling youth unemployment and diversifying its economy.

Retired teacher Mokgweetsi Masisi, who takes over from former army general Ian Khama, inherits a state with a reputation as one of Africa’s rare political and economic success stories.

But he faces a huge task in attempting to reduce its dependence on the diamond trade while creating more jobs after collapsing commodity prices tipped it into recession in 2015.

“We still seek to build a Botswana in which sustained development is underpinned by economic diversification,” Masisi told a cheering crowd in parliament. “One of my top priorities ... will be to address the problem of unemployment especially amongst the young.”

Botswana, with a population of some 2 million, has a jobless rate of around 20 percent, with youth unemployment thought to be much higher.

Khama, 65, and a son of the country first president Seretse, bowed out after two five-year terms in a scripted succession that compelled him to hand over power to his deputy.

Masisi becomes only Botswana’s third leader outside the Khama dynasty since its independence from Britain in 1966.

As part of efforts to branch out of diamonds, he also said his government would scale up access to technical education and set up initiatives in tourism, mining, beef and financial services.

But the country’s opposition predicted little change, saying Masisi as deputy president was instrumental in an economic strategy that had failed to adapt the economy to the needs of a new generation of finance and science graduates.

“There is no need to celebrate, the change of guard will just be cosmetic. As vice president he... failed even at the time he was at the ministry of education,” said a spokesman for the UDC opposition coalition, Moeti Mohwasa.

After working for United Nations Children’s Fund, Masisi became a lawmaker in 2009. He served as a minister of public affairs from 2011 to 2014, when Khama named him minister of education and, later the same year, also vice president.

Viewed by the markets as more business-friendly than his predecessor, Masisi will serve as leader until national elections in October 2019, for which the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) is expected to name him as its presidential candidate.

The BDP has governed the country since independence but for the first time won less than 50 percent of the vote for the legislature in the previous election in 2014. Polls suggest its share will fall further in next year’s ballot. </s> Botswana has inaugurated Mokgweetsi Masisi as its fifth president, in a ceremony designed to highlight a smooth transition of power in one of Africa’s strongest democracies.

The ex-vice president took over on Sunday from Ian Khama, who stepped down after his term limit – 10 years – was reached. Elections are scheduled for next year.

In his first address to the nation, Masisi vowed to focus on tackling unemployment, which stands at about 20 percent.

“Botswana faces a myriad of challenges, such as unemployment, poverty, crime, HIV/AIDs, alcohol and drug abuse, amongst others,” he said.

“Therefore, my top priorities as a president of this country will be to address the problem of unemployment, especially among the young people who constitute to the majority of our population.”

Donald Rasikela, one of those unemployed listening to that speech, told Al Jazeera that he hoped the president would live up to his word.

“My expectation is that he will improve government efficiency in order to create job opportunities for the youth,” he said.

“I hope he will improve social services to deal with employment.”

Some opposition members of parliament skipped the event, partly because of a rare corruption scandal that involves the national petroleum fund.

Those who did attend say they need to keep the president and his government honest.

“We are going to continue playing our oversight role, continue to seek more clarity from the president in terms of the way forward … how he intends to deal with unemployment because this country has been experiencing what we call jobless growth,” Phenyo Butale, an opposition politician, told Al Jazeera.

Masisi has 18 months to assert his authority within the ruling Democratic party before national elections in October 2019.

Botswana gets to choose its members of parliament and then the party with the majority of votes in turn elects a president. Masisi hopes to be that man.

“Many people are saying that they don’t think that the new president is going to move very far from former president Ian Khama’s socialist policies,” said Al Jazeera’s Catherine Soi, reporting from Botswana’s capital, Gaborone.

“Khama was concerned with poverty eradication particularly in rural areas. So people expect that President Masisi will keep in line with that but they also hope he’ll have his own ideas and vision.”

His first test will be this week when he names his vice president and cabinet.

Botswana has enjoyed strong economic growth and a stable multi-party system since gaining independence from the United Kingdom just over 50 years ago.

It is one of the world’s largest producers of diamonds, but Masisi believes the country is too reliant on the gem and wants to diversify trade. </s> Botswana has inaugurated Mokgweetsi Masisi as its fifth president, in a ceremony designed to highlight a smooth transition of power in one of Africa's strongest democracies.

The ex-vice president took over on Sunday from Ian Khama, who stepped down after his term limit - 10 years - was reached. Elections are scheduled for next year.

In his first address to the nation, Masisi vowed to focus on tackling unemployment, which stands at about 20 percent.

"Botswana faces a myriad of challenges, such as unemployment, poverty, crime, HIV/AIDs, alcohol and drug abuse, amongst others," he said.

"Therefore, my top priorities as a president of this country will be to address the problem of unemployment, especially among the young people who constitute to the majority of our population."

Donald Rasikela, one of those unemployed listening to that speech, told Al Jazeera that he hoped the president would live up to his word.

"My expectation is that he will improve government efficiency in order to create job opportunities for the youth," he said.

"I hope he will improve social services to deal with employment."

Some opposition members of parliament skipped the event, partly because of a rare corruption scandal that involves the national petroleum fund.

Those who did attend say they need to keep the president and his government honest.

"We are going to continue playing our oversight role, continue to seek more clarity from the president in terms of the way forward ... how he intends to deal with unemployment because this country has been experiencing what we call jobless growth," Phenyo Butale, an opposition politician, told Al Jazeera.

Masisi has 18 months to assert his authority within the ruling Democratic party before national elections in October 2019.

Botswana gets to choose its members of parliament and then the party with the majority of votes in turn elects a president. Masisi hopes to be that man.

"Many people are saying that they don't think that the new president is going to move very far from former president Ian Khama's socialist policies," said Al Jazeera's Catherine Soi, reporting from Botswana's capital, Gaborone.

"Khama was concerned with poverty eradication particularly in rural areas. So people expect that President Masisi will keep in line with that but they also hope he'll have his own ideas and vision."

His first test will be this week when he names his vice president and cabinet.

Botswana has enjoyed strong economic growth and a stable multi-party system since gaining independence from the United Kingdom just over 50 years ago.

It is one of the world's largest producers of diamonds, but Masisi believes the country is too reliant on the gem and wants to diversify trade.
Slumber Tsogwane is endorsed and elected the 9th Vice President of Botswana by Parliament in a 35-1 vote.