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GABORONE, BOTSWANA —Botswanan opposition activists took to the streets of capital Gaborone over the weekend ahead of general elections set for this Wednesday. They wanted to march to Zimbabwe's embassy with a petition that voiced concerns the neighboring country is conspiring to help Botswana's ruling party extend its 58-year hold on power. But the marchers did not reach their destination.
The weekend march was organized by a coalition of opposition parties under the Umbrella for Democratic Change, or UDC.
But police, wielding guns, batons and shields pushed back the marchers and barricaded roads, forcing them to disperse.
UDC representative Phenyo Butale read out the petition despite the failed effort to reach the Zimbabwean Embassy. The petition urged Zimbabwe not to interfere in Botswana's election.
Butale told VOA there have been reports Zimbabwe wants to aid the ruling Botswana Democratic Party, or BDP, by helping it rig this Wednesday's election. The party has been in power since 1966. Its candidate, President Mokgweetsi Masisi, is seeking a second term. He faces three challengers.
"We decided to march to the Zimbabwe Embassy because we have been receiving credible information that there is an attempt by the Zimbabwean government to assist their friends here, the ruling party in Botswana, through clandestine means," Butale said.
He said the police were not supposed to prevent them from marching to the embassy.
"We were met by brute force," he said. "Heavily armed police blocked the way and said we cannot go to the embassy; we need a permit. We told them that our interpretation of the law is that the process of asking for a permit is not because we need permission to enjoy our freedom of expression; the purpose is for the police to facilitate us and ensure our safety."
Police said that for a demonstration to take place the organizers must obtain a permit first.
But political analyst Zibani Maundeni, a professor at the University of Botswana, says the police's actions could be viewed as political.
"The police have to be a neutral body," Maundeni said. "If people organize a peaceful demonstration, there is no reason it should be stopped. In many countries in the region, the police have been a problem, acting in favor of the ruling party."
Meanwhile, the ruling BDP has denied claims it is working with Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party to win the elections.
Equally, ZANU-PF spokesperson Farai Marapira said there is no truth in the Botswana opposition's allegations.
"We do not interfere in the internal activities of any other country, Marapira said. "We do not interfere in the processes. We respect the electoral processes in different countries, and we support what the people of those countries will have decided on. This is just absurd and an insult to ZANU-PF and an insult to the people of Botswana themselves."
The handling of early voting in Botswana has also been criticized, with reports saying some polling stations ran out of ballot papers.
Masisi is a former vice president. He took office in 2018 after he was handpicked to succeed President Ian Khama, who stepped down that year. Masisi was officially elected in 2019 to a five-year term.