Towards a historic transition in Botswana, after the opposition's triumph in the legislative elections

Photo: Monirul Bhuiyan Agence France-Presse With this victory in the legislative elections, the UDC will be able to elect its candidate Duma Boko, a human rights lawyer, long-time opponent and Harvard graduate, as president.

Posted at 12:45

• Afrique

Botswana’s main opposition party has won an absolute majority in parliamentary elections, marking a historic rout of the ruling party since the country gained independence nearly 60 years ago.

The left-wing coalition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) has won at least 31 of the 61 seats in the house of parliament, the southern African country’s electoral commission announced on Friday, two days after the vote.

The UDC will therefore be able to elect its candidate Duma Boko, a 54-year-old human rights lawyer, longtime opponent and Harvard graduate, as president.

Incumbent President Mokgweetsi Masisi confirmed the rare stability on the continent of Botswana’s democracy by conceding defeat early on Friday.

“I want to congratulate the opposition on its victory,” the head of state told the press. “We got it all wrong in the eyes of the people,” he acknowledged in the face of his camp's electoral disaster, weighed down by accusations of corruption and a sluggish economy.

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The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which has led the former British colony since 1966, will at best be the third largest political party in the chamber. Or even the last, depending on the handful of constituencies still to be counted.

Added to the unexpected defeat is its inconceivable scale for the government.

Mr. Masisi said he would work to “facilitate the transition.” “We are quite happy to step down and become a loyal opposition that holds the government to account,” the 63-year-old leader added elegantly, also tweeting his congratulations to the opposition.

The economy of Botswana, a largely desert country known for its largest elephant population in the world, is based mainly on diamonds, which are increasingly facing competition from synthetic stones. Its sluggish growth is expected at 1% for 2024.

According to the latest partial results by local media on Friday, the UDC won 32 seats, ahead of the Botswana Congress Party (BCP, 14 seats), the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF, 5) and Mr. Masisi’s BDP (4).

The final results should be confirmed by the Independent Electoral Commission later in the day.

Unemployment and diamonds

“Change is here,” Duma Boko declared on Facebook, as his party’s victory was clearly taking shape, celebrated in the streets by UDC supporters wearing t-shirts with his image on them.

He expressed his “humility” at the results and “the intensity with which people voted,” saying it “takes our democracy to the next level,” in a short interview with the independent newspaper Mmegi.

“We have witnessed a successful, peaceful and orderly democratic transition,” he said.

More than a million people were invited to vote on Wednesday, out of a population of 2.6 million.

One of the main concerns of voters was rising unemployment (27%), especially among young people (38%).

The outgoing president’s government was also accused of corruption and mismanagement, in a country ranked among the most unequal in the world world.

The BDP’s popularity has waned over the decades, first falling below 50 percent in the 2014 election, when Ian Khama, son of Botswana’s first president, Sir Seretse Khama, was in power.

But the party still expected to stay in power, with Mokgweetsi Masisi declaring on election day that victory was “certain.”

Khama, a vocal critic of his successor, has campaigned vigorously in recent weeks, which experts say may have contributed to the opposition’s victory.