Botswana's Khama sworn in
2009-10-20 11:40
Johannesburg - Botswana's President Ian Khama was sworn in for a second term on Tuesday following his Botswana Democratic Party's (BDP's) landslide victory in last week's general elections.
The 56-year-old former vice-president had already been president for a year and a half before the October 16 election, having taken over last year from ex-leader Festus Mogae when he retired.
Khama, the son of the southern African country's revered first president Sir Seretse Khama, was sworn in by Chief Justice Julian Nganunu outside parliament in the centre of Gaborone, Botswana's capital.
He will serve another five years.
The BDP, which has ruled Botswana for all of its 43 years of independence from Britain, coasted to victory in the elections, taking 45 out of 57 seats in the National Assembly. The biggest opposition party, the Botswana National Front, took six seats.
Diamond wealth
A desert state the size of Texas with a population of around 1.8 million people, Botswana is the world's largest producer of diamonds by value.
The BDP's judicious use of the diamond wealth, which it has used to provide generations of Batswana with free education and healthcare, saw it rewarded with another five-year mandate.
Khama now has to grapple with how to wean the country off the gems that account for 70% of Botswana's export earnings.
The international recession has crushes global demand for diamonds, sending Botswana's economy into a tailspin. Economists predict gross domestic product for 2009 will contract by around 10 per cent.
- SAPA