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40 of the 44 seats in the National Assembly 21 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Registered | 370,169 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Results by constituency | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Constitution |
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General elections were held in Botswana on 15 October 1994, alongside simultaneous local elections. The result was a victory for the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), [1] which had won every election since 1965. However, the elections also saw a strong performance from the Botswana National Front (BNF), which tripled its number of MPs and won all four seats in the capital Gaborone. [2]
Following the 1991 census, constituency boundaries were redrawn and six new constituencies were created. Five of these were in urban areas, which was deemed to be a more realistic apportionment of constituencies; Gaborone gained three, Francistown one and Lobatse became a new constituency. [3]
The elections were contested by a record nine parties, [2] with a total of 108 candidates running. [3] The BNF considered boycotting the elections after the government refused to reform the electoral system or reduce the voting age from 21, but eventually contested the elections due to the belief that the government was vulnerable. [3]
The BDP campaigned on its record of economic and political stability, whilst the BNF campaign centred on high rent and utility costs, as well as unemployment. [2]
Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Botswana Democratic Party | 154,705 | 54.59 | 27 | –4 | |
Botswana National Front | 105,109 | 37.09 | 13 | +10 | |
Botswana People's Party | 11,586 | 4.09 | 0 | 0 | |
Independence Freedom Party | 7,653 | 2.70 | 0 | New | |
Botswana Progressive Union | 3,016 | 1.06 | 0 | 0 | |
United Democratic Front | 783 | 0.28 | 0 | New | |
United Socialist Party | 265 | 0.09 | 0 | New | |
Lesedi la Botswana | 235 | 0.08 | 0 | New | |
Botswana Liberal Party | 23 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | |
Indirectly-elected members | 4 | 0 | |||
Total | 283,375 | 100.00 | 44 | +6 | |
Registered voters/turnout | 370,169 | – | |||
Source: Parliament of Botswana [4] |
The four indirectly elected members were elected on 26 October by members of the National Assembly, based on a list of eight candidates produced by President Ketumile Masire.
Following the elections, the National Assembly convened on 17 October to elect the President. Incumbent President Masire (BDP) was challenged by Kenneth Koma (BNF) and Knight Maripe (BPP). Masire was re-elected and inaugurated on 19 October. [2] The new government was announced on 25 October. [2]
Botswana is a parliamentary republic in which the President of Botswana is both head of state and head of government. The nation's politics are based heavily on British parliamentary politics and on traditional Batswana chiefdom. The legislature is made up of the unicameral National Assembly and the advisory body of tribal chiefs, the Ntlo ya Dikgosi. The National Assembly chooses the president, but once in office the president has significant authority over the legislature with only limited separation of powers. The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) rules as a dominant party; while elections in Botswana are considered free and fair by observers, the BDP has controlled the National Assembly since independence. Political opposition in Botswana often exists between factions in the BDP rather than through separate parties, though several opposition parties exist and regularly hold a small number of seats in the National Assembly.
The Botswana Democratic Party is the governing party in Botswana. Its chairman is the Vice-President of Botswana, Slumber Tsogwane, and its symbol is a lift jack. The party has ruled Botswana continuously since gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1966. The BDP is sometimes classified as a paternalistic conservative party and is also a consultative member of the Socialist International since 2014, which is a group including many worldwide social-democratic parties.
The Botswana National Front (BNF) is a social democratic political party in Botswana. It has been the main opposition party in Botswana since the 1969 elections.
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The National Assembly is the sole legislative body of Botswana's unicameral Parliament, of which consists of the President and the National Assembly. The House passes laws, provides ministers to form Cabinet, and supervises the work of government. It is also responsible for adopting the country's budgets. It is advised by the Ntlo ya Dikgosi, a council of tribal chiefs which is not a house of Parliament.
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The Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) is a right-wing populist political party in Botswana, founded in 2010 by MPs and other politicians who parted ways with the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) due to differences with Ian Khama, the leader of the BDP and the President of Botswana at the time.
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Bathoen Seepapitso Gaseitsiwe also known as Bathoen II was a Motswana Kgosi, jurist and politician who served as Chief of the Bangwaketse from 1928 to 1969. He served as Chairman of the Botswana National Front (BNF) from 1966 to 1985, Leader of the Opposition from 1969 to 1984 and President of the Court of Appeal from 1985 until his death in 1990. He represented the Kanye South constituency in the National Assembly for three consecutive terms. As the leader of the BNF, the then second largest political party in the country, he was the main opponent of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) government, led by Seretse Khama and Quett Masire, during the first two decades of the African country's independence.
Gaobamong Kenneth Shololo Koma, popularly known as KK, was a Motswana intellectual and politician who served as the president of the Botswana National Front (BNF), the main opposition party from 1977 to 2001. He also served as a member of the National Assembly of Botswana, representing the Gaborone South constituency from 1984 to 2004 and held the position of Leader of the Opposition from 1984 to 2003. Alongside Bathoen Gaseitsiwe and Philip Matante, he is considered one of the primary opposition leaders during the first three decades of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) government's existence.
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