Botswana Congress Party

Last updated

Botswana Congress Party
President Dumelang Saleshando
Chairman Samuel Rantuana
Secretary-GeneralGoretetse Kekgonegile
Vice-presidentTaolo Lucas
Publicity secretaryMpho Pheko
FoundedJune 20, 1998 (1998-06-20)
Split from Botswana National Front
Ideology Social democracy
Political position Centre-left
National affiliationNone
Formerly: Umbrella for Democratic Change
(2017–2022)
Colours  Green
National Assembly
15 / 61
Pan African Parliament
1 / 4

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.

Contents

History

The BCP was formed by 11 sitting MPs and immediately became the official opposition in parliament. Party president Michael Dingake served as Leader of the Opposition until parliament was dissolved in advance of the 1999 general elections. In the 1999 general elections, the BCP won 11.9% of the vote and retained only one seat (out of 40). In the elections, 30 October 2004, the party won 16.6% of the popular vote and one out of 57 seats. The sole BCP member of parliament was Dumelang Saleshando, the son of then BCP president, Gilson Saleshando.

In 2009, the party contested the 2009 election in a pact with the Botswana Alliance Movement. However, talks to form an alliance with the Botswana National Front proved fruitless.

The 2009 elections proved a decisive success for the party. The BCP won 19.2% of the popular vote and four parliamentary seats. Its 19.2% popular vote makes it the third largest political movement in Botswana. [1] The BCP retained the Gaborone Central constituency and won the Chobe, Okavango, and Selebi Phikwe West constituencies from the BDP. Pact partner BAM won 2.3% of the vote and defeated the former Minister of Education and Skills Development, Jacob Nkate, in the Ngami constituency. Despite its losses to the BCP, the BDP won enough constituencies from the BNF to increase its overall representation by one seat.

In May 2010, the BCP and the BAM merged under the BCP label with a new party symbol that incorporates elements of the parent parties. [2] Following the merger, the BCP controlled five seats in the National Assembly.

On 4 September 2010, the BCP contested by elections in Tonota North constituency with the support of the other three opposition parties, Botswana National Front (BNF), Botswana Peoples Party (BPP) and the BDP breakaway party Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD). The BCP candidate increased her vote share slightly, to 36.1%, but lost to the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).The party recently lost a key member, Member of parliament for Okavango Hon Bagalatia Aaron, who defected to the ruling Botswana Democratic Party. [3] [4]

Electoral history

National Assembly

ElectionLeaderVotes%Seats+/–PositionStatus
1999 Michael Dingake 40,09611.90%
1 / 40
NewIncrease2.svg 3rdOpposition
2004 Otlaadisa Koosaletse68,55616.62%
1 / 57
Steady2.svgSteady2.svg 3rdOpposition
2009 Gilson Saleshando104,30219.15%
4 / 57
Increase2.svg 3Steady2.svg 3rdOpposition
2014 Dumelang Saleshando 140,99820.43%
3 / 57
Decrease2.svg 1Steady2.svg 3rdOpposition
2019 112,47914.57%
11 / 57
Increase2.svg 8Increase2.svg 2ndOpposition
2024 175,32620.99%
15 / 61
Increase2.svg 4Steady2.svg 2ndOpposition

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Botswana National Front</span> Political party in Botswana

The Botswana National Front (BNF) is a social democratic political party in Botswana. It was the main opposition party in Botswana from the 1969 elections until the 2024 elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 Botswana general election</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MELS Movement of Botswana</span> Defunct Marxist political party in Botswana

The MELS Movement of Botswana was an anti-revisionist Marxist-Leninist communist party in Botswana without parliamentary representation. Themba Joina, a practicing lawyer, was the president of the organization. The name MELS is derived from (Karl) Marx, (Friedrich) Engels, (Vladimir) Lenin and (Joseph) Stalin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Assembly of Botswana</span> Botswanas national unicameral legislature

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1999 Botswana general election</span> General election in Botswana

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1989 Botswana general election</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Botswana general election</span>

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.

Margaret Nnananyana Nasha is a Botswana politician who served as the Speaker of the National Assembly from 2009 to 2014. She was the first woman to hold the position.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Botswana Movement for Democracy</span> Political party in Botswana

The Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) is a 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Botswana general election</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Umbrella for Democratic Change</span> Alliance of political parties in Botswana

The Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) is a centre-left to left-wing alliance of political parties in Botswana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duma Boko</span> President of Botswana since 2024

Duma Gideon Boko is a Botswana politician and lawyer currently serving as 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dumelang Saleshando</span> Motswana politician

Dumelang Saleshando is a Motswana politician and economist who has served as the Leader of the Botswana Congress Party since 2010. Saleshano is the current Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly of Botswana Since 1 November 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Botswana general election</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Botswana Patriotic Front</span> Political party in Botswana

The Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) is a populist political party in Botswana formed in July 2019 by members of the Botswana Democratic Party who split from the party because of a high-profile rivalry between former Presidents Ian Khama and Mokgweetsi Masisi.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Botswana general election</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">12th Parliament of Botswana</span> 2019-2024 meeting of the Botswana National Assembly

The 12th Parliament of Botswana was the meeting of the National Assembly, the unicameral legislature of the Parliament of Botswana, with the membership determined by the results of the general election held on 23 October 2019. The legislature convened for the first time on 5 November 2019 and was dissolved on the 5th of September 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaborone Central</span> Parliamentary constituency in Gaborone

Gaborone Central is a constituency in Gaborone City represented in the National Assembly of Botswana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okavango (Botswana constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the North-West District of Botswana, 1965–2024

Okavango was a constituency in the North-West District.

References

  1. ↑ "Botswana". The World Factbook. CIA. 3 February 2023.
  2. ↑ "Mmegi Online :: BCP,BAM Merge". Mmegi Online. 17 May 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  3. ↑ reporters, Justice Kavahematui &Nicholas Mokwena-BG. "'Arone joining BDP for the money' - Botswana Guardian". www.botswanaguardian.co.bw. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  4. ↑ "Arone finally leaves BCP for BDP". Botswana Gazette . Retrieved 26 May 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.