Moupo's fall from grace

Primaries are not a new phenomenon in Botswana politics. They happen whenever general elections or by-elections are approaching. The primaries are a living example of inner party democracy. Various political parties use them as an objective selection criterion to find the best representative from amongst the party members.

Because there is always a winner and a loser, primaries generate a lot of interest. But the BNF primaries produced the biggest of upsets when the incumbent president was defeated by an ordinary member of the party. Maemo Bantsi's victory over Otsweletse Moupo is the stuff that makes fairy tales.