![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
57 of the 63 seats in the National Assembly 29 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Turnout | 76.20% (![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() Results by constituency | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
![]() |
---|
Constitution |
General elections were held in Botswana on 30 October 2004, alongside local elections. The result was a ninth consecutive victory for the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which won 44 of the 57 seats in the National Assembly.
The Independent Electoral Commission had a campaign to encourage voter registration, with a target of registering at 500,000 voters. Although it achieved its target, registering around 61% of the estimated 900,000 voting-age population, the opposition Botswana National Front (BNF) accused it of making errors in the registration process. [1]
For the first time, the election campaign involved parties using billboards. However, the opposition claimed that their media access was restricted, and a study by the Media Institute of Southern Africa showed that the BDP had received over 50% of the election coverage. [1] The BDP campaigned on promises to improve training, expand electricity and water supplies and amend laws that discriminated against women. The campaign of the opposition parties focused on unemployment and poverty. [1] However, although the BNF, Botswana Alliance Movement (BAM) and Botswana People's Party (BPP), entered into an electoral pact agreement in 2003, their campaigns were marked by open personal attacks between them and their leaders.
Fifty-six of the 57 constituencies were contested, with Vice President Ian Khama unopposed in the Serowe North constituency. [1]
For the first time, international monitors were able to observe the elections, with delegations from the Southern African Development Community, the African Union, the Commonwealth and the United Nations in attendance. There were 11,000 personnel from the Independent Electoral Commission involved in running the elections. [1]
Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Botswana Democratic Party | 213,308 | 51.73 | 44 | +11 | |
Botswana National Front | 107,451 | 26.06 | 12 | +6 | |
Botswana Congress Party | 68,556 | 16.62 | 1 | 0 | |
Botswana Alliance Movement | 11,716 | 2.84 | 0 | 0 | |
Botswana People's Party | 7,886 | 1.91 | 0 | New | |
New Democratic Front | 3,237 | 0.78 | 0 | New | |
MELS Movement of Botswana | 121 | 0.03 | 0 | 0 | |
Independents | 104 | 0.03 | 0 | 0 | |
Indirectly-elected seats | 6 | +2 | |||
Total | 412,379 | 100.00 | 63 | +19 | |
Valid votes | 412,379 | 97.89 | |||
Invalid/blank votes | 8,893 | 2.11 | |||
Total votes | 421,272 | 100.00 | |||
Registered voters/turnout | 552,849 | 76.20 | |||
Source: African Elections Database |
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 National Front (BNF) is a social democratic political party in Botswana. It has been the main opposition party in Botswana since the 1969 elections.
The Botswana Congress Party (BCP) is a social democratic political party in Botswana. Founded in 1998 as a result of a split from the Botswana National Front (BNF), the party attracted most of the BNF's sitting MPs due to a leadership dispute involving the BNF's leader, Kenneth Koma.
Elections in Botswana take place within the framework of a multi-party democracy and a parliamentary system. The National Assembly is mostly directly elected, and in turn elects the President and some of its own members. The Ntlo ya Dikgosi is a mixture of appointed, hereditary and indirectly elected members.
The MELS Movement of Botswana is an anti-revisionist Marxist-Leninist communist party in Botswana without parliamentary representation. Themba Joina, a practicing lawyer, is the president of the organization. The name MELS is derived from (Karl) Marx, (Friedrich) Engels, (Vladimir) Lenin and (Joseph) Stalin.
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.
General elections were held in Botswana on 16 October 1999, alongside local elections. The result was an eighth straight victory for the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which increased its majority to 33 of the 40 elected seats in the National Assembly.
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), 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.
General elections were held in Botswana on 7 October 1989, alongside local elections. The result was the sixth straight landslide victory for the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which won 31 of the 34 elected seats.
General elections were held in Botswana on 16 October 2009, alongside local elections, with early voting in 26 polling stations abroad taking place 3 October. The result was a tenth successive victory for the Botswana Democratic Party, which won 45 of the 57 elected seats in the National Assembly.
General elections were held in Botswana on 20 October 1979. The result was a fourth successive landslide victory for the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which won 29 of the 32 elected seats, including two in which they were unopposed.
Kanye South is a constituency in the Southern District represented in the National Assembly of Botswana since 2019 by Lemogang Kwape a BDP MP and current Minister of Foreign Affairs.
General and local elections were held in Botswana on 24 October 2014. The result was an eleventh straight victory for the Botswana Democratic Party, which won 37 of the 57 elected seats. Incumbent President Ian Khama was sworn in for a second term on 28 October.
The Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) is a centre-left alliance of political parties in Botswana.
General elections were held in Botswana on 23 October 2019 to elect MPs and local government councillors. Despite a high profile split in the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) in May 2019 when former President Ian Khama left the party and switched his support to the new Botswana Patriotic Front, the BDP's vote share increased to almost 53% as the party won 38 of the 57 elected seats in the National Assembly, a gain of one compared to the 2014 elections. The elections were the twelfth straight victory for the BDP.
General elections will be held in Botswana in 2024 to determine the composition of the 13th Parliament of Botswana as well as local councils across the country. Up for election are 61 seats of the unicameral National Assembly as well as 490 local council seats, all elected through the first-past-the-post voting system. Ever since the first election in 1965, the Botswana Democratic Party has held a majority of seats in the National Assembly and thus governed alone for 57 years without interruption, making Botswana a dominant-party system.
Gaborone South is a constituency in Gaborone City represented in the National Assembly of Botswana since 2019 by Dumezweni Mthimkhulu, a BDP MP.
Gaborone Central is a constituency in Gaborone City represented in the National Assembly of Botswana since 2019 by Tumisang Healy, a BDP MP.
Okavango is a constituency in the North-West District represented in the National Assembly of Botswana by Kenny Kapinga a BCP MP.
Lobatse is a constituency in South-East District represented in the National Assembly of Botswana since 2019 by Thapelo Matsheka, a BDP MP.