1974 Botswana general election

1974 Botswana general election

←  1969 26 October 1974 1979  →
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32 of the 36 seats in the National Assembly 17 seats needed for a majority
Registered	205,050
Turnout	31.22% (of registered voters) (23.51pp) 26.21% (of eligible population) (11.25pp) [n 1]
Majority party Minority party   Leader Seretse Khama Bathoen Gaseitsiwe Party BDP BNF Leader's seat None [a] Kanye South Last election 68.33%, 24 seats 13.54%, 3 seats Seats won 27 2 Seat change 3 1 Popular vote 49,047 7,358 Percentage 76.62% 11.49% Swing 8.29pp 2.05pp   Third party Fourth party   Leader Philip Matante Motsamai Mpho Party BPP BIP Leader's seat Francistown Okavango Last election 12.14%, 3 seats 5.99%, 1 seats Seats won 2 1 Seat change 1 Popular vote 4,199 3,086 Percentage 6.56% 4.82% Swing 5.58pp 1.17pp
Results by constituency
President before election Seretse Khama BDP Elected President Seretse Khama BDP

General elections were held in Botswana on 26 October 1974. With 205,050 registered voters, turnout was just 31.22%. ^[1] The result was a third successive landslide victory for the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), who won 27 of the 32 elected seats, ^[2] including four in which they were unopposed. ^[3] Local elections were held on the same day, with a turnout of just 30.3%, and saw the BDP strengthen its position. ^[3]

Campaign

A total of 63 candidates contested the elections. The BDP ran a full slate of 32 candidates, the Botswana National Front had 14 candidates, the Botswana People's Party had eight, the Botswana Independence Party had six, and there were three independents. ^[3]

Results

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Botswana Democratic Party	49,047	76.62	27	+3
	Botswana National Front	7,358	11.49	2	–1
	Botswana People's Party	4,199	6.56	2	–1
	Botswana Independence Party	3,086	4.82	1	0
	Independents	321	0.50	0	New
Indirectly-elected members				4	0
Total		64,011	100.00	36	+1
Registered voters/turnout		205,050	–
Source: EISA, Nohlen et al.

Notes

1. National Study On Voter Apathy in Botswana (PDF). University of Botswana. IEC Botswana. 2022. p. 17.

1. Incumbent presidents are ineligible to contest National Assembly seats; instead, they serve as ex-officio members of Parliament.

References

1. Botswana: 1974 National Assembly results EISA
2. Dieter Nohlen, Michael Krennerich & Bernhard Thibaut (1999) Elections in Africa: A data handbook, p113 ISBN   0-19-829645-2
3. Botswana: The October 1974 General Election EISA