The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which has governed the country since independence in 1966, has lost elections in a shock defeat that will reshape the southern African country as an opposition leader Duma Boko becomes the new president.
- The crown now goes to Duma Boko’s Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) and Dumelang Saleshando’s BCP which have won majority seats in the legislature.
- Part of the reason for the loss is the long-running conflict between former president Ian Khama and the current BDP leadership, which saw Khama back the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF).
- The loss means that President Mokgweetsi Masisi, the country’s fifth president, will be the first not to finish two terms in office.
“I will respectfully step aside and participate in a smooth transition process ahead of inauguration,” President Masisi said in a televised address on Friday morning.
In addition to corruption during President Ian Khama’s second term, the former president’s spat with his successor contributed to the ruling party’s downfall. Although it begun with a dispute after President Masisi lifted a ban on hunting, it snowballed into a feud that saw Khama go into exile and back a newly formed party in the 2019 and 2024 elections.
Khama’s Effect, and Boko’s Rise
Khama returned to Botswana in September 2024, just six weeks to the elections, and was immediately arraigned before a Gaborone court on 14 charges including money laundering and illegal possession of firearms. Khama’s father, Sir Seretse Khama, was Botswana’s first president (1966-1980) and he (the younger Khama) served as the head of the military from 1989 to 1998 before beginning his political career.
Although the BPF did not win many seats, its presence, and the looming shadow of the Khama’s in Botswana’s political scene decimated the BDP in areas where it was once strong.
Duma Gideon Boko’s UDC is a coalition of several opposition parties. Boko, a lawyer by training, was the leader of opposition between 2014 and 2019. He was a member of the Botswana National Front, which joined with three other parties to form the UDC.
Duma Boko’s installation as the country’s sixth president follows his defeat in the last elections in 2019, when he lost so badly that he lost his parliamentary seat and with it, the leader of the opposition role. Other than riding on voter fatigue with the BDP, Boko ran on a platform of addressing unemployment and boosting the social security net.
