There used to be a time when Botswana was a country of two nations; the rural areas and the urban areas. And this was reflected nowhere more starkly than in the results of general elections. And then with time the country moved on to be a country divided into the young and the old. And this demographic shift too was more keenly reflected in the outcome of election results. Then over time, more as a result of social media than anything else the divisions were levelled out.
Today the differences between the young, the old, rural or urban areas have never been more blurred. While inequalities have grown, information is now able to transcend localities, age, class and gender. The end result is that across the board, voters have grown increasingly skeptical and even cynical. They not only distrust politicians and politics – they hate them. The voter has long lost trust on the ability of politics to improve their lives. This is mainly because the more promises they get, the more things stay the same – or some instances things get worse. Only corruption seems to be a constant and permanent. The opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change has been doing very well in the by elections.
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