1974 Botswana general election

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1974 Botswana general election
Flag of Botswana.svg
  1969 26 October 1974 1979  

32 of the 36 seats in the National Assembly
17 seats needed for a majority
Registered205,050
 Majority partyMinority party
  Seretse Khama during Independence Talks.png Bathoen Gaseitsiwe - 1966.png
Leader Seretse Khama Bathoen Gaseitsiwe
Party BDP BNF
Leader's seatNone [lower-alpha 1] Kanye South
Last election68.33%, 24 seats13.54%, 3 seats
Seats won272
Seat changeIncrease2.svg3Decrease2.svg1
Popular vote49,0477,358
Percentage76.62%11.49%
SwingIncrease2.svg8.29ppDecrease2.svg2.05pp

 Third partyFourth party
  Philip Matante during Independence Talks.png Motsamai Mpho 1965.png
Leader Philip Matante Motsamai Mpho
Party BPP BIP
Leader's seat Francistown Okavango
Last election12.14%, 3 seats5.99%, 1 seats
Seats won21
Seat changeDecrease2.svg1Steady2.svg
Popular vote4,1993,086
Percentage6.56%4.82%
SwingDecrease2.svg5.58ppDecrease2.svg1.17pp

1974 Botswana National Assembly election - Results by constituency.svg
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]

Contents

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

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Botswana Democratic Party 49,04776.6227+3
Botswana National Front 7,35811.492–1
Botswana People's Party 4,1996.562–1
Botswana Independence Party 3,0864.8210
Independents3210.500New
Indirectly-elected members40
Total64,011100.0036+1
Registered voters/turnout205,050
Source: EISA, Nohlen et al.

Notes

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

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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. 1 2 3 Botswana: The October 1974 General Election EISA