Botswana votes for new Parliament and President

The people of Botswana are voting to elect a new Parliament and a President.

A total of eight hundred and 24, thousand 73 registered voters will elect 57 members of the National Assembly and 490 local government council members.

The ruling Botswana Democratic Party, which has been in power since independence in 1966, is widely expected to secure a comfortable victory for its candidate, incumbent President Seretse Khama Ian Khama.

A major challenge comes from the Umbrella for Democratic Change, a coalition of parties.

The ruling party won 45 out of the 57 parliamentary seats during the general elections in 2009.

Observers from the Southern African Development Community, the African Union and the European Union are in the country to observe the elections.

Botswana is among Africa's most politically stable countries. 

It is also one of the world's biggest diamond producers and preserves some of the continent's largest areas of wilderness.

XINHUANEWS