Botswana
Constitutional structure and position of IHL in domestic law
Botswana is a parliamentary republic. Formerly a British protectorate, Botswana (then known as Bechuanaland), attained self governance in 1965 and became independent on 30 September 1966. The 1966 Constitution established a republican government headed by a president elected by a unicameral assembly. The President selects his ministers from among the members of the National Assembly. The House of Chiefs, which is composed of 15members representing the country's major tribes and some smaller ones, has no legislative powers but acts as an advisory body to parliament and government. Botswana's legal system is based on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law.
The Botswana Defence Force was established in 1977. The President is Commander-in-chief of the nation's armed forces.
Botswana acceded to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 on 29 March 1968, and to the Additional Protocols of 1977 on 23 May 1979. The Geneva Conventions were published in the government gazette as schedules to the Geneva Conventions Act of 1970 (Botswana Government Gazette (Supplement F), 26 August 1970, p. 237).
