Things are this week expected to come to a head at opposition parties’ cooperation talks when each party will put on the table the names of constituencies they want to be allowed to contest on behalf of the collective umbrella.
Information released so far indicates that the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) and Botswana Movement For Democracy (BMD) are headed for a showdown.
The tussle for constituencies threatens the negotiations.
Except for Gaborone Central, BMD wants all Gaborone and Francistown constituencies.
On the incumbency principle, BMD wants to represent the Umbrella at Lobatse, Gaborone West South, South East South, Francistown South, and Kgatleng West.
However, on its wish list based on the 2009 general elections, the BCP wants its candidates to contest Francistown South, currently held by BMD‘s Wynter Mmolotsi and South East South which is represented by another BMD MP, Odirile Motlhale.
The BCP lost the Francistown South constituency by 5.8 percent and the South East South by less than 3 percent.
Under potentially winnable constituencies in which the opposition gunned less than 40 percent of the total popular vote in the past general elections, the two parties will slug it out for at least 8 constituencies that the BCP strongly feel it should contest because it came second to the BDP in the 2009 general elections.
These constituencies are Maun West, Francistown East where the BCP’s Morgan Moseki lost to minister Phandu’s Skelemani by about 9 percent, Selebi Phikwe East where Nzwaligwa Nzwaligwa came second by gunning 3170 against BDP’s Nonofo Molefhi who got 3717.
