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List of general elections in Botswana

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Botswana is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Since its independence from the United Kingdom as Bechuanaland on September 30, 1966,[1][2] Botswana has been a parliamentary republic with a dominant party, namely the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), previously called the Bechuanaland Democratic Party.[3][4][5] The first president to govern Botswana was Sir Seretse Khama.[6] The country has had 13 formal general elections since 1961,[7] with one happening every five years.[8] The 2024 election is expected to happen in October.[9] Each president is entitled to two five-year terms; Quett Masire, the second president, created Botswana’s term limit in 1997.[10][11][12][13] The country first adopted universal franchise during the 1965 Bechuanaland general election.[14]

Botswana’s parliament as of April 2024.[15]

Every election has been won by the BDP.[16][17] However, recent elections have shown that support for the BDP is declining, and opposition parties have started getting more support. Opinion polls in 2022 conducted by Afrobarometer showed that 29.4% of people surveyed would vote for a main opposition party, the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), if elections were held the next day, compared to the BDP’s 22.3%,[18] showing signs of instability towards Botswana’s dominant party system.[19]

The president of Botswana is selected after the general election. For this process, the presidential candidate from the political party that wins a majority of the seats is sworn in as president.[20]

Summary

The table below excludes European Advisory Council elections as members were elected by European residents, not citizens of the Protectorate themselves,[21][22] and Bechuanaland citizens also did not get to participate in the British Administration.[22]

List of general elections in Botswana
Election Winner Runner-up Seats won by other candidates Seats available to be won Voter turnout Reference(s)
Party Seats won Party Seats won
1961 n/a[a] n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a [23]
1965 BDP 28 BPP 3 0 31 74.55% [14][23][24]
1969 BDP 24 BNF 3 4 31 54.7% [25][24]
1974 BDP 27 BNF 2 3 32 31.2% [24][26]
1979 BDP 29 BNF 2 1 32 58.4% [24][27]
1984 BDP 29 BNF 4 1 34 77.6% [24][28]
1989 BDP 31 BNF 3 0 34 68.2% [24][29][30]
1994 BDP 27 BNF 13 0 40 76.6% [24][31][32]
1999 BDP 33 BNF 6 1 40 77.11% [24][33][34]
2004 BDP 44 BNF 12 1 57 76.2% [24][35][36]
2009 BDP 45 BNF 6 6 57 76.71% [24][36][37][38]
2014 BDP 37 UDC 17 3 57 84.75% [36][39][40]
2019 BDP 38 UDC 15 4 57 84.1% [41][36]
2024 Election expected to happen in October 2024. 61 [9][42][43]
  1. ^ Seretse Khama was announced as the winner of the 1961 election.
  • Electoral maps of Botswana general elections
  • 1965 Bechuanaland general election results by constituency
    1965 Bechuanaland general election results by constituency
  • 1969 Botswana general election results by constituency
    1969 Botswana general election results by constituency
  • 1974 Botswana general election results by constituency
    1974 Botswana general election results by constituency
  • 1979 Botswana general election results by constituency
    1979 Botswana general election results by constituency
  • 1984 Botswana general election results by constituency
    1984 Botswana general election results by constituency
  • 1989 Botswana general election results by constituency
    1989 Botswana general election results by constituency
  • 1994 Botswana general election results by constituency
    1994 Botswana general election results by constituency
  • 1999 Botswana general election results by constituency
    1999 Botswana general election results by constituency
  • 2004 Botswana general election results by constituency
    2004 Botswana general election results by constituency
  • 2009 Botswana general election results by constituency
    2009 Botswana general election results by constituency
  • 2014 Botswana general election results by constituency
    2014 Botswana general election results by constituency
  • 2019 Botswana general election results by constituency
    2019 Botswana general election results by constituency

References

  1. ^ "Botswana". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Britannica. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Botswana National Day". www.state.gov. United States Department Of State. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  3. ^ "www.cia.gov". cia.gov. CIA. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  4. ^ "History of Botswana | Events, People, Dates, Maps, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
  5. ^ "Cambridge University". Cambridge.org. Cambridge. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  6. ^ "Sir Seretse Khama | Botswana Leader, Independence & Legacy | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2024-04-26. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  7. ^ "65. Botswana (1966-present)". UCA. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  8. ^ "Botswana at a Glance | Embassy of the Republic of Botswana in Washington, D.C." www.botswanaembassy.org. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
  9. ^ a b "Africa Center". africacenter.org. Africa Center for Strategic Studies. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  10. ^ "Botswana: Freedom in the World 2023 Country Report". Freedom House. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  11. ^ Chan, Stephen (2017-07-18). "Ketumile Masire obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
  12. ^ Padnani, Amisha (2017-06-29). "Ketumile Masire, Who Shaped and Led a Vibrant Botswana, Dies at 91". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
  13. ^ "History". www.parliament.gov.bw. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
  14. ^ a b "EISA Botswana: The 1965 Pre-Independence General Election". 2023-04-27. Archived from the original on 2023-04-27. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  15. ^ "Botswana". Retrieved 2024-05-04.
  16. ^ Warren, Shana. "Botswana's ruling party has been in power 50 years. That could change this week". Washington Post. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  17. ^ "Analysis | Botswana's ruling party won again. This makes 12 consecutive victories". Washington Post. 2019-11-06. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
  18. ^ "www.afrobarometer.org" (PDF). Afrobarometer. p. 43. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  19. ^ "The Downfall of the Botswana Democratic Party". The St Andrews Economist. 2022-10-21. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  20. ^ "Botswana 12/09". state.gov archives. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  21. ^ "European And African Advisory Councils - Hansard - UK Parliament". UK Parliament. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  22. ^ a b R. D. Manungo, Kenneth. "The role of the Native Advisory Council in the Bechuanaland Protectorate, 1919-1960". Pula: Botswana Journal of African Studies, vol. 13, nos. 1 & 2 (1999). 13: 38. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  23. ^ a b "EISA Botswana: Late British colonialism (1945-1966)". 2023-04-27. Archived from the original on 2023-04-27. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Elections in Botswana". africanelections.tripod.com. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  25. ^ Macartney, W.J.A. (1971). "The General Election of 1969". Botswana Notes and Records. 3: 33–34. ISSN 0525-5090. JSTOR 40979273. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  26. ^ "EISA Botswana: The October 1974 General Election". 2020-04-12. Archived from the original on 2020-04-12. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  27. ^ "EISA Botswana: The October 1979 General Election". 2021-04-10. Archived from the original on 2021-04-10. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  28. ^ Retrieved 12 May 2024 http://archive.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/arc/BOTSWANA_1984_E.PDF
  29. ^ "EISA Botswana: The October 1989 General Election". 2020-08-30. Archived from the original on 2020-08-30. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  30. ^ "BOTSWANA: parliamentary elections National Assembly, 1989". archive.ipu.org. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  31. ^ "BOTSWANA: parliamentary elections National Assembly, 1994". archive.ipu.org. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  32. ^ "EISA Botswana: The October 1994 General Election". 2020-03-17. Archived from the original on 2020-03-17. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  33. ^ "BOTSWANA: parliamentary elections National Assembly, 1999". archive.ipu.org. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  34. ^ "EISA Botswana: The October 1999 General Election". 2013-10-02. Archived from the original on 2013-10-02. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  35. ^ "IPU PARLINE database: BOTSWANA (National Assembly), Elections in 2004". archive.ipu.org. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  36. ^ a b c d "IFES Election Guide | Country Profile: Botswana". www.electionguide.org. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
  37. ^ Retrieved 12 May 2024. https://archive.today/20140926164322/http://www.iec.gov.bw/index.php/election-results#
  38. ^ "EISA Botswana: 2009 National Assembly election results". 2022-11-16. Archived from the original on 2022-11-16. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  39. ^ "2014 General Elections Report" (PDF). pp. 30–31. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  40. ^ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  41. ^ "IFES Election Guide | Elections: Botswana Parliament 2019". www.electionguide.org. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
  42. ^ "Election Calendar | EISA". www.eisa.org. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  43. ^ Mathala, Sharon (2023-02-15). "Four new constituencies come 2024". Mmegi Online. Retrieved 2024-05-07.
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