Botswana President Steps Down

GABORONE, BOTSWANA — Botswana's president steps down today, handing over power in the kind of smooth transition for which the country is known — one that contrasts sharply with the political turmoil in neighboring Zimbabwe.

On a continent where leaders are all too often accused of holding on long past their mandate, Festus Mogae, 69, is giving up power before the end of his second term.

That allows his vice president, Seretse Ian Khama, a former army commander and the son of Botswana first's president, to run as an incumbent next year.

"I retire a proud citizen," Mogae said at a farewell rally held by the ruling Botswana Democratic Party on Saturday. "Let me advise those leaders in similar circumstances: Leave when the time for you to leave comes, and you will be embraced with love by your people."

While Mogae may claim to set a standard for democracy in Africa, democracy activists and opposition members here complain about "automatic succession." The Botswana Democratic Party, in power since independence in 1966, anoints the next head of state. The party is expected to continue its dominance in the face of a weak and divided opposition.