Wikipedia

2024 Botswana general election

The 2024 Botswana general election must be held no later than 29 October 2024.[a] It will determine the composition of the 13th Parliament of Botswana as well as local councils across the country. Up for election are 61 seats of the National Assembly as well as 609 local council seats, all elected through the first-past-the-post voting system.

2024 Botswana general election
← 2019 No later than 29 October 2024
61 of the 69 seats in the National Assembly[n 1]
31 seats needed for a majority
Registered1,035,964 Increase 11.90%
 
Mokgweetsi_Masisi_May_2023.jpg
Duma Boko (2019).jpg
Leader Mokgweetsi Masisi Duma Boko
Party BDP UDC
Leader's seat None[n 2] Did not stand
Last election 52.65%, 38 seats 35.88%, 15 seats
Current seats 38 7[n 3]
Seats needed Steady Increase 24
 
Dumelang_Saleshando_(cropped).jpg
Mephato Reatile.jpg
Leader Dumelang Saleshando Mephato Reatile
Party BCP BPF
Leader's seat Maun West Jwaneng-Mabutsane
Last election 11 seats[n 4] 4.41%, 3 seats
Current seats 7 4
Seats needed Increase 24 Increase 27
Incumbent President

Mokgweetsi Masisi
BDP



Since the first election in 1965, the Botswana Democratic Party has held a majority of seats, without interruption, in the National Assembly and has thus governed alone for 57 years, making Botswana a dominant-party system.

Background

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Previous election

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Main article: 2019 Botswana general election

The election held on October 23, 2019, saw the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) maintain its parliamentary majority for the 12th consecutive time, securing 53% of the votes and 38 out of 57 seats, one more than in the 2014 election. The Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) garnered 36% of the votes and 15 seats, two less than its 2014 result. The election marked a significant political realignment in Botswana's political landscape. This was because the Central District (which had consistently supported the BDP, averaging around 75% of the vote since the first elections in 1965) saw large swings to the opposition due to former President Ian Khama's backing of the newly-formed Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) and of UDC candidates, where the BPF did not stand candidates of its own.[4] The UDC and BPF won 11 out of 17 seats in the district, marking the first time ever that a party other than the BDP won a seat in the district. Nonetheless, the BDP made substantial gains in other regions, securing all seats in both Gaborone and districts in the southern parts of the country, offsetting the UDC's advances.[5][6] The election outcome described as an upset was attributed to President Masisi's efforts to reconcile with segments of society previously at odds with Khama, such as labour unions, whose support had waned in the 2014 election. The rapprochement between the UDC leadership and Khama, who remains unpopular among urban and southern voters, led to a loss of support for the UDC among its traditional opposition base in the south.[5]

While international observers deemed the elections "free and fair,"[7] Duma Boko contested the BDP's victory, alleging significant electoral irregularities.[6][8] Despite the UDC's claims of multiple voting and bribery of election officials, their petition to invalidate the results was dismissed by the High Court in December 2019. Although the Court of Appeal agreed to hear the case in January 2020, it was later dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.[9]

Background of opposition parties before the election

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Following the 2019 elections, there were three opposing parties in the National Assembly—the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) and the Alliance for Progressives (AP). In August 2022, the BPF joined the UDC alliance, uniting all opposition parties in the National Assembly except for the AP.[10]

The Botswana Congress Party (BCP), a major member of the UDC since 2017, had expressed interest in leaving the UDC alliance due to disagreements between BCP leader, Dumelang Saleshando and UDC leader, Duma Boko.[11] Saleshando ceased to be the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, after a group of UDC MPs joined by five BCP dissidents, voted him out of the position in July 2022.[12]

The BCP proposed forming an electoral alliance with the AP and the newly-formed, Botswana Labour Party (a minor Botswana National Front splinter party).[13] However, the AP withdrew from the coalition talks after disagreements with the BCP largely due to disagreements over constituency allocation, opting to join the UDC instead.[14][15]

In May 2023, the BCP's central committee unanimously decided to participate in the 2024 elections separately from the UDC alliance. The party cited concerns over the UDC's disregard for intra-party democracy and the vulnerability of their party leader to capture by "private interests", as reasons for their exit.[16]

Following a party leadership retreat in April 2024, the BPF decided to leave the UDC alliance, opting for a "pact model" which would see the BPF not standing candidates in constituencies it deemed unwinnable and the UDC doing the same in constituencies which the BPF can win in, instead of running under the UDC—a proposal since rejected by UDC leadership.[17]

Composition of parliament

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See also: 12th Parliament of Botswana

The 12th Parliament was inaugurated on 5 Novemeber 2019. Dumelang Saleshando had replaced Duma Boko as Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly following Boko's defeat at the general election.

Prior to the ban on floor crossings in 2023, the National Assembly saw two BDP MPs and two UDC MPs defect to the UDC and BDP, respectively. A by-election was triggered in the Serowe West constituency after Tshekedi Khama's expulsion from parliament after he fled to South Africa with his brother (and former President), Ian Khama, causing him to miss the minimum number of sessions required to maintain his seat. The 2023 Serowe West by-election was held in July 2023 and saw the BPF retain the seat at a larger majority. Yandani Boko, former UDC MP for Mahalapye East, resigned from the National Assembly in March 2024. A by-election was not held for his seat as it was deemed too close to the dissolution of parliament, expected by August.[18][19]

Electoral system

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For the 2024 elections, the membership of the National Assembly consists of 61 MPs elected in single-member constituencies by first-past-the-post voting, six members appointed by the governing party and two ex-officio members (the President and the Speaker).[20]

Voters are required to be citizens of Botswana and at least 18 years old and have been resident in the country for at least 12 months prior to voter registration. People who are declared insane, hold dual citizenship, under a death sentence, convicted of an electoral offence or imprisoned for at least six months are not allowed to vote.[21] Candidates have to be citizens of Botswana, at least 21 years old, without an undischarged bankruptcy and be able to speak and read English sufficiently well to take part in parliamentary proceedings.[21] They must also obtain a nomination from at least two voters in their constituency and the support of seven. A deposit is required, which is refunded if the candidate receives at least 5% of the vote in the constituency. Members of the Ntlo ya Dikgosi cannot stand for election to the National Assembly.[21]

Voter registration controversy

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Botswana uses a 'periodic list' voter registration system where the election authority creates a new list of eligible voters every five years before each election, as opposed to a continuous register or civil registry. This process occurs just before the election and involves aiming to register all voters within a relatively short time frame. It is 'self-initiated' in the sense that voters must go to the electoral authority's centres nationwide to register themselves rather than the election authority going to the people.[22]

 
Voter registration poster at a polling station in Gaborone Central constituency.

In the lead-up to the general voter registration, the UDC established the Madibelatlhopho (lit. 'Protectors of the vote'), a group of UDC supporters constituted ad hoc to oversee the voter registration process. Their aim was to prevent alleged rigging in favor of the BDP by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). The voter registration period for the 2024 general elections in Botswana was initially scheduled to run from 1 to 30 November 2023. However, it was indefinitely postponed due to legal challenges from the UDC.[23][24]

On 7 November, Justice Gaolapelwe Ketlogetswe of the Francistown High Court issued a rule nisi requiring the IEC and other parties to justify why the UDC's Madibelatlhopho should be restrained from monitoring the national registration process. This decision temporarily allowed UDC observers to proceed with their plan to observe the registration cycle until the court's final determination. The court order permitted UDC clerks to daily record the names, national identity card numbers and registration booklets' serial numbers of registrants. The IEC announced a further postponement of the registration period, shifting it to occur from 13 November to 8 December 2023, to prevent UDC observers from accessing polling stations until the Court of Appeal, the country's highest court, made its final ruling.[25]

The apex court ruled in favor of the IEC, denying the UDC's request to have the Madibelatlhopho access to registration booklets and other confidential voter information. This decision overturned the previous Francistown High Court ruling that had allowed the UDC to monitor the voter registration process. However, the court found no legal basis in the Electoral Act to grant the UDC such monitoring rights. The Leader of the Opposition, Dithapelo Keorapetse, expressed disappointment with the judgment, viewing it as "a setback for democracy".[26]

The IEC oversaw the general voter registration, which began on 5 January, 2024 and ended on 3 February. Approximately 2,800 polling stations were open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends. All citizens aged 18 years and above were eligible to register to vote.[27] The total number of people who registered during the general registration was 764,539. Following a lower-than-expected number of registered electors after the general registration, two supplementary voter registration periods were held. The first, from 26 February to 15 March, added an additional 74,404 registered electors. The second and final supplementary registration took place from 20 to 31 May and was conducted across approximately 2,800 nationwide polling stations, unlike the first, which was held at harder-to-reach district commissioners' offices and Kgotlas. This phase yielded an additional 197,021 registered electors, bringing the total number of registered voters to 1,035,964—an increase of 12 percent from the 2019 election.[28][29]

Seat redistribution

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In accordance with section 64. (1) of the Constitution of Botswana, a Delimitation Commission was appointed on 13 May 2022 (following the release of the decennial 2022 Botswana Census) to redistribute the constituencies of the National Assembly. The National Assembly passed a bill increasing the number of constituencies by four seats from 57 to 61 seats.[30] Consultations with the public and various interest groups ran from 20 June to 28 November 2022. The Commission presented its finalised report to the President on 10 February 2023.[31]

New seats

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  1. Mogoditshane West
  2. Maun North
  3. Okavango West
  4. Okavango East
  5. Kgatleng Central

Eliminated seat

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  1. Mmathethe-Molapowabojang

Political parties and candidates

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See also: Political parties in Botswana

The following table lists the political parties contesting the 2024 general election.

Name Ideology Political position Leader 2019 result Current seats
Percentage (%) Seats
BDP Botswana Democratic Party Paternalistic conservatism Centre to centre-right Mokgweetsi Masisi 52.65
38 / 57
38 / 57
UDC Umbrella for Democratic Change Social democracy
Left-wing populism 		Centre-left to left-wing Duma Boko 35.88[n 4]
15 / 57
7 / 57
BCP Botswana Congress Party Social democracy Centre-left Dumelang Saleshando
7 / 57
BPF Botswana Patriotic Front Populism
Pro-Ian Khama 		Big tent Mephato Reatile 4.41
3 / 57
4 / 57
BMD Botswana Movement for Democracy Right-wing populism
Christian right 		Right-wing Thuso Tiego 0.27
0 / 57
0 / 57
BRP Botswana Republican Party Christian democracy
Social conservatism 		Centre-right to right-wing Biggie Butale did not exist
0 / 57

MPs standing under a different political affiliation

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Outgoing MP 2019 party Constituency 2024 party
Aubrey Lesaso UDC Shoshong BDP
Pono Moatlhodi UDC Tonota BDP
Ignatius Moswaane BDP Francistown West UDC
Mephato Reatile BDP Jwaneng-Mabutsane BPF

MPs not standing for re-election

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Name Party Constituency Term in office Date announced
Mpho Balopi BDP Gaborone North 5 November 2019–present 2022[32]
Thapelo Matsheka BDP Lobatse 5 November 2019–present October 2023[33]
Pono Moatlhodi BDP Tonota 5 November 2019–present August 2023[34]
Eric Molale BDP Goodhope-Mabule 5 November 2019–present January 2024[35]

For further details of changes during the outgoing parliament see: 12th Parliament of Botswana § Floor crossings, resignations and expulsions.

Opinion polls

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Polling firm Fieldwork date Sample
size 		BDP UDC BCP BPF BMD Others Undecided Lead
Afrobarometer 23 Jul–10 Aug 2022 1,200 22.3% 37.5%[b] 7.9% 3.4% 0.1% 1.2%[c] 27.8%[d] 15.2
2019 election 23 October 2019 – 52.7% 35.9% 4.4% 0.3% 6.7% – 16.8

Notes

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  1. ^ Eight of the seats in the 69-member legislature are not directly elected by the voters. Out of these eight seats, six are 'specially-elected' members appointed by the President and approved by the National Assembly. The remaining two seats are occupied by the Speaker and the President as ex-officio members.
  2. ^ Incumbent presidents are ineligible to contest National Assembly seats; instead, they serve as ex-officio members of Parliament.
  3. ^ Since the prohibition of floor crossings in 2021, the UDC currently has a de jure 14 MPs, including the seven BCP MPs who have left the alliance.[1] The seat figure presented here represents the de facto number of UDC MPs.
  4. ^ a b As part of the UDC alliance, the BCP won 11 seats, and its candidates who stood under the UDC received approximately 14.57% of the national popular vote.
  1. ^ This is based on the constitutional requirement that a general election must be conducted within 60 days following the dissolution of Parliament, which, as announced by Parliament, occurs on or before 30 August 2024.[2][3]
  2. ^ "UDC" only–29.4%
    BNF–5.1%
    AP–2.9%
    BPP–0.1%
  3. ^ RAP (disbanded on March 2023)–0.1%
    All others–0.8%
  4. ^ Would not vote–14.6%
    Refused to answer–7.4%
    Don't know–5.8%

References

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  1. ^ Tlhankane, Mompati (5 June 2023). "UDC accused of destabilising BCP". Mmegi. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Press Release: Change of Date For the Commencement of the 3rd Meeting of the 5th Session of the 12th Parliament". Facebook. 27 June 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Botswana 1966 (rev. 2002) Constitution - Sessions of Parliament". Constitute Project. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  4. ^ Seabo, Batlang; Nyenhuis, Robert (23 November 2021). "Botswana's 2019 General Elections: A Referendum on General Ian Khama". African Studies Review. 64 (4): 854–883. doi:10.1017/asr.2021.69. ISSN 0002-0206. S2CID 244539238.
  5. ^ a b Chutel, Lynsey (25 October 2019). "Botswana Election Won by President, Despite Rift with Predecessor". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Botswana opposition challenges election result in court". Reuters. 26 November 2019.
  7. ^ Benza, Brian (25 October 2019). "Botswana's Masisi retains presidency as BDP wins election". Reuters.
  8. ^ "Botswana: Freedom in the World 2020 Country Report". Freedom House. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  9. ^ Writer, Staff (31 January 2020). "Court of Appeal ends UDC petition case with dismissal". Mmegi Online. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  10. ^ Admin. ""BPF is a member of UDC" – Mohwasa". Botswana Gazette. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  11. ^ Tlhankane, Mompati (26 December 2022). "Boko, Saleshando exchanges". Mmegi Online. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  12. ^ "KEORAPETSE NEW LOO". dailynews.gov.bw. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  13. ^ Tlhankane, Mompati (27 February 2023). "BCP yet to officially ditch UDC". Mmegi Online. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  14. ^ "AP withdraws from cooperation talks". Mmegi. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  15. ^ Dube, Chakalisa (31 July 2023). "AP joins fight against vote 'rigging'". Mmegi Online. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  16. ^ "Botswana Congress Party". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  17. ^ "BPF has decided to use own symbol come October elections". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  18. ^ "The rise and fall of Yandani Boko". The Patriot On Sunday. 12 March 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  19. ^ Basimanebotlhe, Tsaone (18 March 2024). "Boko's exit leaves workers stranded at Mahalapye East". Mmegi Online. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  20. ^ "FAQs". Parliament of Botswana. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  21. ^ a b c Electoral system IPU
  22. ^ "Voter registration". ACE Electoral Knowledge Network. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  23. ^ "Botswana's voter registration suspended – SABC News". Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  24. ^ Mokwena, Potlako Bogatsu,Nicholas (4 November 2023). "IEC postpones voter registration process". Guardian Sun. Retrieved 7 July 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  25. ^ TLHANKANE, MOMPATI (1 November 2023). "Voter registration postponed as IEC, UDC squabble". Mmegi Online. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  26. ^ Mathonsi, Boikanyo (19 December 2023). "UDC displeased as CoA rules in favour of IEC". Mmegi Online. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  27. ^ "Botswana begins voter registration for upcoming election despite challenges-Xinhua". english.news.cn. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  28. ^ "SUPPLEMENTARY REGISTRATION STARTS MAY 20". DailyNews. 18 May 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  29. ^ "IEC updates members of All-Party Conference on election readiness—BWgovernment". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  30. ^ Mathala, Sharon (15 February 2023). "Four new constituencies come 2024". Mmegi Online. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  31. ^ Galeragwe, Moshe (12 February 2023). "DELIMITATION COMMISSION PRESENTS REPORT". dailynews.gov.bw. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  32. ^ "Balopi set to quit politics". Weekend Post. 28 March 2022.
  33. ^ "I won't contest but I remain BDP- Matsheka". Mmegi. 17 October 2023.
  34. ^ "Moatlhodi to retire from active politics". DailyNews.
  35. ^ "Molale bids constituents farewell". DailyNews.
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