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Events in the year 2024 in Botswana .
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Events in the year 2024 in Botswana .
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 per cent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the south and southeast, Namibia to the west and north, Zambia to the north and Zimbabwe to the northeast. With a population of slightly over 2.4 million people and a comparable land area to France, Botswana is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. It is essentially the nation-state of the Tswana people, who constitute nearly 80 per cent of the population.
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 President of the Republic of Botswana is the head of state and the head of government of Botswana, as well as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, according to the Constitution of Botswana. Sir Seretse Khama was the prime minister from 1965 to 1966, however he later became president of Botswana, and as of 2024 there have been no prime ministers since.
The Botswana Democratic Party,, is a centre-right political party in Botswana. From the country's inaugural election in 1965 until the 2024 general election the party governed the country without interruption for 58 years. At the time of its defeat, the BDP was the longest continuous ruling party in the democratic world.
Seretse Khama Ian Khama is a Botswana politician and former military officer who was the fourth President of the Republic of Botswana from 1 April 2008 to 1 April 2018. After serving as Commander of the Botswana Defence Force, he entered politics and was Vice-President of Botswana from 1998 to 2008, then succeeded Festus Mogae as President on 1 April 2008. He won a full term in the 2009 election and was re-elected in October 2014.
The first lady of the Republic of Botswana is the wife of the president of Botswana. The current first lady is Kaone Boko, the wife of President Duma Boko.
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.
Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi is a Motswana politician and former President of Botswana, who served between 1 April 2018 to 1 November 2024. He served as the 8th Vice President of Botswana from 12 November 2014 to 1 April 2018. He was a Member of Parliament in the National Assembly for the Moshupa-Manyana constituency from 2009 to 2018.
Duma Gideon Boko is a Botswana politician and lawyer currently serving as the sixth president of Botswana since 1 November 2024 and as leader of the Umbrella for Democratic Change since 2012. He served as the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly from 2014 to 2019.
The following lists events that happened during 2015 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 and the last straight victory for the BDP.
Botswana held a general election in October 2019. Though it was more competitive than previous elections, it resulted in a victory for the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) and won an addition term for President Mokgweetsi Masisi. Botswana saw an escalation in the rivalry between Masisi and his predecessor Ian Khama, with Khama leaving the Botswana Democratic Party to support the Botswana Patriotic Front and the Umbrella for Democratic Change. Following the BDP's victory, opposition leaders challenged the results of the election.
Botswana saw the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Lockdowns were implemented between March and May, and restrictions continued throughout the year. The previous year's general election was disputed by the opposition, and several cases were filed to overturn the results. Tensions rose with South Africa in 2020 as Botswana sought the prosecution of Bridgette Radebe. Concerns regarding wildlife conservation increased in 2020 as elephants began dying off in large numbers, as well as similar concerns about vultures. Armed conflicts with poachers continued throughout the year, including the killing of four men in November that caused protests in Namibia.
Anna Maria Mokgethi is a Motswana politician serving as the Minister of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Affairs since November 2019. She is the Member of Parliament for Gaborone Bonnington North. Mokgethi is a member of the Botswana Democratic Party.
Botswana continued to address the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, beginning its vaccination process through the importation of vaccines. On November 11, Botswana was the location of the first documented case of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. 2021 also saw the discovery of two diamonds in Botswana that exceeded 1000 carats, becoming the third and fourth largest diamonds ever discovered. In relations with its neighbouring countries, Botswana continued to address violence at the Botswana–Namibia border, and it entered into the conflict in Cabo Delgado in support of the government of Mozambique.
Botswana continued to address the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, including the discovery of the COVID-19 variant Omicron BA.4 and BA.5, with COVID-19 restrictions being relaxed in October. Continued disputes took place regarding the Botswana–Namibia border, though an open border was established in September. The rivalry between President Mokgweetsi Masisi and his predecessor Ian Khama escalated in 2022, accelerated by firearms charges against Khama and a warrant for his arrest. The government also saw controversy for its support of bills that would grant it additional espionage powers and regulate journalists.
HB Antwerp is a diamond cutting and technology company based in Antwerp, Belgium. It was founded in 2020 by Shai de Toledo, Rafael Papismedov, and Oded Mansori.
General elections were held in Botswana on 30 October 2024 to determine the composition of the 13th Parliament of Botswana as well as local councils across the country. Up for election were 61 seats of the National Assembly as well as 609 local council seats, all elected through the first-past-the-post voting system.
Botswana–Germany relations refers to the current and historical relationship between Germany and Botswana. In 2017, former president Ian Khama visited Berlin, and in 2018 former Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd Müller visited Botswana. Relations in March 2023 were considered excellent.
The Boko cabinet is the current cabinet of Botswana, established on 1 November 2024. This cabinet is the 16th in Botswana's history and was formed following the 2024 general election. It marks the first time since independence in 1966 that the cabinet is not led by the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), ending the party's 58-year rule over Botswana.
