AUDIO: Botswana President concedes election defeat, BDP loses power after 58 years
Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi conceded defeat on Friday as preliminary results showed his governing Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) had lost its parliamentary majority after nearly six decades in power. Masisi’s concession came before the final results were announced, with the BDP trailing in fourth place, according to tallies by the electoral commission.
“We got it wrong in the eyes of the people,” Masisi said at a news conference in the capital, Gaborone. “We were convinced of our message, but every indication is that there’s no way we’re going to form a government.”
The president, who was seeking a second five-year term in Wednesday’s election, announced he would “step aside.”
“I wish to congratulate the opposition on their victory and concede the election,” he added.
The electoral commission is expected to confirm the final results later on Friday. Under Botswana’s electoral system, the first party to secure 31 of the 61 seats in the legislature is declared the winner, allowing it to install its candidate as president and form a government.
The BDP, which has governed the diamond-rich Southern African nation since 1966, had been expected to win. However, the main opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) held a strong lead in the partial results, making its leader, Duma Boko, the likely next president.
Masisi said he had called Boko to inform him of his decision to concede.
The UDC had already secured 25 seats, according to the official partial count, and was aiming to reach 31 seats to claim victory and hand the presidency to human rights lawyer Boko. Boko, 54, founded the UDC in 2012 to unite opposition groups against the BDP.
“CHANGE IS HERE,” Boko wrote on Facebook as small street celebrations began in parts of Gaborone. This marks his third presidential bid, following runs in 2014 and 2019.
The opposition Botswana Congress Party won seven seats, while the Botswana Patriotic Front took five, with the BDP trailing at just three, according to partial results.
Masisi, a 63-year-old former teacher and UNICEF worker, had been widely expected to retain his parliamentary majority and serve a second term. Often hailed as one of Africa’s most stable democracies, Botswana ranks among the wealthiest countries on the continent. However, a global downturn in demand for mined diamonds, which account for more than 80 percent of Botswana’s exports, has impacted the economy.
Economic growth is projected to slow to 1 percent in 2024, down from 2.3 percent in 2023 and 5.5 percent in 2022, according to the International Monetary Fund. Unemployment has risen to 27 percent, with an even higher rate among young people.
Before the vote, the BDP acknowledged the need to diversify the economy and pledged to develop new growth drivers such as agriculture and tourism.
“I am proud of our democratic processes. Although I wanted a second term, I will respectfully step aside and support a smooth transition,” Masisi said.
More than one million of Botswana’s 2.6 million people were registered to vote in the election.
Credit: Aljazeera
