The history of Botswana encompasses the region's ancient and tribal history,its colonisation as the Bechuanaland Protectorate,and the present-day Republic of Botswana. The first modern humans to inhabit Botswana were the San people,and agriculture first developed approximately 2,300 years ago. The first Bantu peoples arrived c. 200 AD,and the first Tswana people arrived about 200 years later. The Tswana people split into various tribes over the following thousand years as migrations within the region continued,culminating in the Difaqane in the late 18th century. European contact first occurred in 1816,which led to the Christianization of the region.
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.
Festus Gontebanye Mogae is a Botswana politician and economist who served as the third President of Botswana from 1998 to 2008. He succeeded Quett Masire as President in 1998 and was re-elected in October 2004;after ten years in office. He stepped down in 2008 and was succeeded by Lieutenant General Seretse Khama Ian Khama.
The Botswana Democratic Party is a political party in Botswana. It was the ruling party of Botswana for 58 years,from independence in 1966 until the 2024 general election. Its chairman is Slumber Tsogwane and its symbol is a lift jack. The BDP is sometimes classified as a paternalistic conservative party,but it is also a consultative member of the Socialist International,a worldwide alliance of social-democratic parties. The BDP was shaped primarily by two of its founders,Seretse Khama and Quett Ketumile Masire. Traditional Setswana communities make up the party's base,which has led the BDP to remain a conservative movement.
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.
Mompati Sebogodi Merafhe was a Botswana politician who was Vice-President of Botswana from 2008 to 2012. He was a retired Lieutenant-General and served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1994 to 2008.
Moutlakgola Palgrave Kediretswe Nwako was a former politician and diplomat in Botswana. Nwako served as the first foreign minister from 1966-1969. He was Speaker of the National Assembly of Botswana from 1989 to 1999.
Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi is a Botswana journalist and politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Botswana from 2014 until December 2018. She was appointed to the National Assembly of Botswana in 1999 as one of the four specially selected members and was re-elected in the 2004 general elections.
His Excellency Onkokame Kitso Mokaila is the ambassador for Botswana to the United States of America. He was elected to the National Assembly in the October 2004 general election,representing the governing Botswana Democratic Party.
Mbiganyi Charles Tibone is a politician in Botswana. He was elected to the National Assembly in the October 2004 general election from the Tati West constituency and represents the governing Botswana Democratic Party. Following the election,Tibone was appointed as Minister of Minerals,Energy and Water Resources on November 9,2004,serving in that position until January 2007,when he was instead appointed as Minister of Labour and Home Affairs. When Ian Khama took office as president on April 1,2008,he dismissed Tibone from the Cabinet.
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.
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.
Ponatshego Honorius Kefaeng Kedikilwe is a Motswana politician who was Vice-President of Botswana from 2012 to 2014. A member of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP),he has also served as Minister of Minerals,Energy,and Water Resources since 2007.
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.
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.
Gladys Keitumetse Theresa Kokorwe is a Botswana politician who was the Speaker of the National Assembly from 2014 to 2019. She is a member of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).
Slumber Tsogwane is a Motswana politician who served as Vice President of Botswana from April 2018 to November 2024. He is also former Member of Parliament for Boteti West. He was the longest serving Member of Parliament of the 12th Parliament of Botswana. He is a member of the Botswana Democratic Party.
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.
Ndaba Nkosinathi Gaolathe is a Motswana economist and politician,currently serving as Vice-President of Botswana since 7 November 2024,under President Duma Boko. Gaolathe is the leader of the Alliance for Progressives,one of the parties within the ruling coalition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC). He is also an elected member of the National Assembly of Botswana for the Gaborone Bonnington South constituency since the 2024 elections,a position he previously held from 2014 to 2019.
