The Government of Botswana often abbreviated as GOB, is the union government created by the constitution of Botswana having the executive, parliament, and the judiciary. The Seat of the Government is located in Gaborone, Botswana. The government is led by the president.

Executive

This section defines the executive branch including the President, Vice President, and Cabinet.

The President

The President is the chief executive of the state. The President is elected president by members of the National Assembly. These members state on the ballot who they would support for President if elected, and after election to the National Assembly vote for whomever they indicated they would elect as President. The President has the following requirements: (a) is a citizen of Botswana by birth or descent; (b) has attained the age of 30 years; and (c) is qualified to be elected as a Member of the National Assembly. The President's term is limited up to 10 years, or however long the President holds office in the National Assembly.

The Cabinet

This Cabinet is composed of the President, the Vice President and no more than six ministers who are appointed by the President from the National Assembly. The Ministers in the Cabinet are responsible for advising the President with respect to the policy of the government. There are an additional 57 elected members of the National Assembly. There is also a speaker of the Assembly who is elected by the members of the Assembly, but does not necessarily have to be a member of the assembly themselves. There is also a deputy speaker elected by the Assembly. This body consists of 33-35 members. In order to be eligible to be a member one must be 21 years old and a citizen. There are similar disqualifying conditions for this body as there are for the National Assembly. Members are appointed for 5-year terms. No member may participate in party politics, and many members are tribal chiefs. This body possesses no legislative power, including approval or veto power; rather they advise the Parliament on bills and measures. A power the body does have is to summon members of the government to appear before it.

Judicature

This section describes the varying parts of the judiciary in Botswana including the High Court, the Court of Appeal, and the Judicial Service Commission.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|-

!No.

!Name

!Tenure

|-

|1

|Dendy Young

|1968–1971

|-

|2

|Akinola Aguda

|1972–1975

|-

|3

|George O. L. Dyke

|1975–1977

|-

|4

|Robert John Hayfron-Benjamin

|1977–1981

|-

|5

|James Aiden O'Brien Quinn

|1981–1987

|-

|6

|Luke Livesey

|1987–1992

|-

|7

|Moleleki D. Mokama

|1992–1997

|-

|8

|Julian Nganunu

|1997–2010

|-

|9

|Maruping Dibotelo

|2010–2018

|-

|10

|Terence Rannowane

|2018-2025

|-

|11

|Gaolapelwe Ketlogetswe

|2025-present

|-

|}

Court of Appeal

The Court of Appeal has the right to hear any case in Botswana in which one party has appealed the decision found. This court consists of a President of the Court of Appeal, a number of other judges, and the entirety of the High Court. Like the High Court, the President is appointed by the President as are the other judges, with the advice of Parliament. In order to be qualified a person must have been either a judge, attorney, or law professor. As is with the High Court a person is appointed until the age of 70, barring Parliament does not find them incapable during their tenure. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Parliament of Botswana. In part because the party system has been dominated by the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which never lost power since the country gained independence, until 2024, the Economist Intelligence Unit has rated Botswana as a "flawed democracy."

Foreign relations

International organizations

ACP, AfDB, C, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, WT.

References

  • Official website