Asked about the possibility after voting in his home village of Moshupa, about 60 kilometers west of the capital Gaborone, Masisi told reporters: “I don’t want a parliament without a majority. But elsewhere, if that happens, the parties negotiate.”

He acknowledged concerns about a decline in Botswana’s foreign exchange reserves and weakening international diamond sales, saying the government would increase local investment as a countermeasure.

“We intend to solve this problem by putting money in the pockets of citizens and building infrastructure,” Masisi said.

He also told Zimbabwe’s ruling party election observers that “victory is certain.”

At the same small polling station, unemployed Mompati Seekano, 57, said: “The BDP government has done great things for this country. President Masisi should get a second term.”

– Fractured opposition –

In Gaborone, Khumo Mase, 21, who voted for the first time, said many young people – who make up almost 40 percent of the population – decided not to vote because they believed the system was rigged to keep the BDP in power.

The opposition is also “inconsistent,” she said. “We only hear about it at election time but the ruling party always shows that it is there.”

Three presidential candidates are running against Masisi, but the opposition is divided and lacks resources for its campaign.