On the 23rd of October, the people of Botswana voted in what is possibly the most hotly contested elections in its history. Polls opened at 6:30 am, closed at 7 pm and the turnout observed across polling stations was overwhelming.

On the 25th of October, Chief Justice Terence Rannowane declared the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) winners of the election after winning a majority of the seats in parliament.

Winner Takes All

The four main political parties, Alliance for Progressives (AP), the Botswana Democratic Front (BDP), the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF), United for Democratic Change (UDC), other smaller parties and independent candidates were competing to win a 50+1 majority.

For a party to be declared the winner of the election it has to win a minimum of 29 seats out of the 57 constituencies which, in this case, is the BDP. The BDP won 38 seats, while the UDC managed to get 15 seats. The BPF won 3, the AP won 1 seat and no independent candidate won seats.

This year’s elections brought many unexpected surprises, which saw the UDC President, Duma Boko, and AP President, Ndaba Gaolathe, losing by considerably large margins. Similarly, the BDP had a sweeping victory in the south, particularly in the areas that were predominantly opposition strongholds.

After hearing the announcement of his loss, the BPF party president Biggie Butale stated that he does not accept the results even though he did not state on what grounds. The UDC has indicated that they intend to go to court to dispute elections results but the likelihood of them making any real impact through court action is quite low.

The graph below shows how the votes were spread amongst parties across the country. While the BPF performed better in the south, the UDC received a majority of their seats from the north. The BPF and AP only won seats in the north. Interestingly enough, for the first time since independence, the BDP lost all 3 seats to the BPF in the Serowe region.

The split votes indicated that there is still a significant number of people who did not want either the ruling party nor the leading opposition party.

The BDP is set to lead Botswana for the next 5 years until the next election cycle. President Masisi was inaugurated on the 1st of November at a ceremony that was graced by several Heads of States but snubbed by his predecessor, Khama.

Some opposition leaders were noticeably absent on the day including the UDC’s Duma Boko. From the region, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was a no show but a representative from his administration graced the inauguration. Besides that, it was a well-attended ceremony that was held outside the Parliament premises for the first time in history.

The Khama Vs. Anti-Khama Effect

As expected, the BPF won seats in the central region where they fielded candidates and in constituencies where former President Ian Khama, has influence. In the southern region, the UDC suffered greatly largely due to its relations with Khama and the BPF. The anti-Khama effect in this region worked to the BDP’s advantage as the party had a clean sweep, particularly in previously opposition strongholds.

Contesting Botswana Election Results

The leading opposition party in the country, the United for Democratic Change (UDC), has expressed that they intend to challenge the election outcome in court. According to their press release, they are currently in the process of gathering evidence to be used at an advised time in court.

In a interview with Mmegi, BPF patron, former President Ian Khama encouraged the UDC to challenge the Botswana election results.

Separately, Mmegi and other media houses reported that UDC Candidate Noah Salakae, who lost to the BDP’s Johane Thiite by a margin of 176 votes in the Ghanzi North constituency, submitted an election petition before the country’s court contesting the MPs results outcome. This followed a tip-off by a government official in the District Commissioner’s office that there were ballot boxes found in the Commissioner’s toilet. During a theatrics-filled day, these ballot boxes were driven to Gaborone where they were eventually parked at the Gaborone High Court.

The truck carrying these ballot boxes was followed from Ghanzi to Gaborone escorted by the police, private security and UDC security. The court case against the Independent Electoral Commission regarding these ballot boxes (which was to be heard on November 12) was heard on 21 November.

The deadline for candidates from the recently held elections to petition the outcome of the results was announced as 22 November and the applicant’s lawyer is expected to have filed a petition by the set date.

At least 10 UDC candidates are expected to file petitions against the election results. Even though this is the first time in the history of national elections that a situation like this prevails, the UDC would have to provide evidence before court to prove that indeed there were irregularities.

Court dates are yet to be determined but this will no doubt be a test on Botswana’s democracy and provide lessons learnt for electoral cycles to come.

Where Were the Women in the Botswana Election?

Out of the registered 924 434 voters, 504 434 were women. When it comes to women’s political participation in the Botswana election, however, women mostly worked as campaign managers and never really made it as top politicians. There is a combination of factors leading to this but at the centre of it is the deeply entrenched patriarchy in Botswana’s society and the lack of access to funds.

In the previous Parliament, only 5 women were in parliament. Of the 10 female MP candidates that ran for election this year, only 3 have managed to win so far. Annah Mokgethi (middle in the picture below) toppled UDC president Duma Boko from the Gaborone Bonnington North Constituency, an outcome many did not anticipate.

On the 4th of November, 6 Specially Elected Members of Parliament (SEMP) were voted in by the MPs and President Masisi. Four out of six of these are women, which is commendable and will certainly increase the low number of female MPs in Parliament.

Besides affirmative action, political parties too have to be deliberate in fielding more women in their constituencies.

Election Day Irregularities

Irregularities observed on the day of elections included the disappearance of one of the local government elections candidate’s names on the ballot paper according to a press release by the IEC. The concerned ward’s local election is now scheduled for 23 November. It is important to note that this did not have any impact on the overall outcome of the election.

Vote-Buying

According to Mmegi, incidences of vote-buying/bribing of voters by both the opposition and ruling party candidates were observed in some polling stations. Other than this, no other electoral fraud has been brought forward.

Election Observations

According to the Sunday Standard, regional and international elections observer missions highlighted that they are happy with the conduct of the Botswana election. Some of the recommendations made were with regards to women’s participation in politics as well as additional polling stations for the elderly and differently-abled. Despite some evident irregularities, the election was overall peaceful.