Botswana’s Ruling Party Faces Historic Defeat After Nearly 60 Years in Power
Botswana’s political landscape has dramatically changed as the ruling party suffered an unexpected defeat in recent elections, ending its nearly six-decade dominance.
Preliminary results reveal that President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) lost its majority in parliament on Friday, with opposition parties winning 31 out of 61 available seats, according to the electoral commission.
The BDP only secured one seat as of early Friday, signaling a significant shift in voter sentiment. The Umbrella for Democratic Change, led by Duma Boko—a human rights lawyer educated at Harvard—captured 19 seats. Meanwhile, the Botswana Congress Party, under the leadership of economist Dumelang Saleshando, won seven seats, and the newly formed Botswana Patriotic Front, established by supporters of former President Ian Khama, gained five seats.
In Botswana’s political system, the party with the majority in parliament has the authority to appoint the president and form the government.
Often hailed as one of Africa’s success stories, Botswana has maintained a reputation for stability and wealth thanks to its diamond mining sector. However, recent declines in global diamond demand, which accounts for more than 80% of the nation’s exports, have impacted the economy negatively. The International Monetary Fund anticipates that economic growth will slow to just 1% in 2024, a drop from 2.3% last year and 5.5% in 2022, while unemployment has surged to 27%.
