Section 14 (1) of the Constitution provides that every person shall be entitled to
freedom of movement and for purposes of this Section, the said freedom includes
amongst others, the right to move freely throughout Botswana the right to reside in
any part of Botswana and the right to enter Botswana.
Botswana continues to receive persons seeking asylum which can be granted based
on whether or not they meet the requisite criteria. Botswana is host to asylum
seekers and refugees from, among others, Somalia, Eretria, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe. Where the political situation has
normalised in their countries, the refugees are free to return to their countries of
origin.
ARTICLE 13
RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE FREELY IN GOVERNMENT; RIGHT TO EQUAL
ACCESS TO THE PUBLIC SERVICE OF ONE’S COUNTRY; RIGHT TO
ACCESS PUBLIC PROPERTY
A. Right To Participate Freely In Government:
Botswana is a multi-party democracy which holds free and fair elections every five
(5) years. The last elections were held in 2014. Governance institutions are fully
fledged and functioning. The branches of government comprise the Executive,
Legislature, and the Judiciary. The National Assembly acts in consultation with
the Ntlo ya Dikgosi (House of Chiefs), which advises on matters affecting customs
and tradition. Local government comprises 16 Administrative Districts and 16
Districts Councils in which District, Town and City Councilors are regularly
elected.
According to the Section 58 of the Constitution, the Parliament is composed of 57
elected members and 4 specially elected members. The President of the Republic is
an Ex-Officio Member of the Parliament. The Speaker of the National Assembly
can also be elected from among persons who are not members of the Parliament.
There are currently 57 constituencies and 490 Council wards. In this regard, all
citizens can stand for these political offices provided that they satisfy the criteria
set out in the Constitution.
Citizens are also at liberty to elect candidates of their choice. Elections are
organized by an Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), as established in 1997
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