Botswana President Festus Mogae's ruling party swept ahead in early election results on Sunday and, with the opposition vote split, looked set to win overall in the world's biggest diamond producer. The ruling party took 18 of the first 20 results announced, with 37 seats still to declare. Election results have been delayed by what international observers called "painfully slow" but careful checking of ballot papers. "We fear it looks very one-sided, which is bad for democracy in Botswana," said a Western diplomat monitoring the election, which he described as free and fair. Former International Monetary Fund economist Mogae's Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has won every election in the southern African country since independence from Britain in 1966. As evening fell, BDP supporters drove through the capital hooting horns and waving banners in celebration. The split opposition vote is seen as virtually guaranteeing BDP victory in the British-style first-past-the-post election. --More 2208 Local Time 1908 GMT
