government parties centred on the larger Botswana National Front. In three of the constituencies reported so far, the combined opposition vote exceeded that of the BDP, but the ruling party still won due to the split. "The popular vote for the opposition may come close to that of the BDP, but it won't translate into seats," said Gideon Mkala, editor of the Monitor newspaper. "If they get even 10 seats it will be a major achievement." Final results and a full breakdown of the popular vote may not be available until Tuesday. Most of the first constituencies reported were in rural areas where the BDP has its bedrock of support, and observers said the opposition vote might increase as results from urban areas came in overnight. On Saturday, many people waited up to five hours in the blazing heat across a country bigger than France to vote as officials meticulously checked identities against voter rolls. Some ballot papers had to be transported hundreds of kilometres to counting centres from remote villages in Botswana's Kalahari desert. --More 2209 Local Time 1909 GMT
