s both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a
five-year term; election last held 16 October 1999 (next to be held
NA October 2004); vice president appointed by the president
election results: Festus MOGAE elected president; percent of
National Assembly vote - 54.3%

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Chiefs (a largely
advisory 15-member body consisting of the chiefs of the eight
principal tribes, four elected subchiefs, and three members selected
by the other 12 members) and the National Assembly (44 seats, 40
members are directly elected by popular vote and 4 are appointed by
the majority party; members serve five-year terms)
elections: National Assembly elections last held 30 October 2004
(next to be held NA October 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
BDP 44, BNF 12, BCP 1

Judicial branch:
High Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrates' Courts (one in each
district)

Political parties and leaders:
Botswana Democratic Party or BDP [Seretse Ian KHAMA]; Botswana
National Front or BNF [Otswoletse MOUPO]; Botswana Congress Party or
BCP [Mokgweetsi KGOSIPULA]; Botswana Alliance Movement or BAM
[Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO]
note: a number of minor parties joined forces in 1999 to form the
BAM but did not capture any parliamentary seats; the BAM parties
are: the United Action Party [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO], the
Independence Freedom Party or IFP [Motsamai MPHO], and the Botswana
Progressive Union [D. K. KWELE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM,
OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Lapologang Caesar LEKOA
chancery: 1531-1533 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
FAX: [1] (202) 244-4164
telephone: [1] (202) 244-4990

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph HUGGINS
embassy: address NA, Gaborone
mailing address: Embassy Enclave, P. O. Box 90, Gaborone
telephone: [267] 353982
FAX: [267] 312782

Flag description:
light blu