President of the Republic of Botswana | |
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Tautona wa Botswana | |
Style | Mr President His Excellency |
Residence | State House |
Seat | Gaborone |
Appointer | Parliament of Botswana |
Term length | 5 years, renewable once |
Constituting instrument | Constitution of Botswana |
Inaugural holder | Seretse Khama |
Formation | 30 September 1966 |
Deputy | Vice-President of Botswana |
Salary | P 1,075,056 [1] |
Constitution |
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Portal |
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. [2] Sir Seretse Khama was the prime minister from 1965 to 1966, [3] however he later became president of Botswana, and as of 2024 there have been no prime ministers since. [3]
The president is elected to a five-year term that runs concurrently with the term of the National Assembly. [4] Previously, a president could be reelected any number of times. In 1997, under the second president, Quett Masire, term limits were imposed on the office for the first time. [5] [6] Since 1998, the president has been limited to a total of 10 years in office (equivalent to two full terms), whether successive or separated. [6] The first president for whom the term limits applied was Festus Mogae, who was required to leave office for good in 2008. [7] Each president gets a guaranteed pension. [8]
The president is elected by the members of the National Assembly following a general election. All candidates for the National Assembly declare whom they endorse for president when they lodge their nomination papers, and the candidate who receives a majority of endorsements from the elected members of the National Assembly is automatically elected. [9] [10] [11] If no candidate receives a majority of endorsements, the National Assembly elects the president by simple majority, before it co-opts the specially elected members. If no president is elected after three ballots, or if the Speaker determines that no candidate has enough support to be elected, the legislature is automatically dissolved for fresh elections. [10] In practice, the president is the leader of the majority party or alliance in the Assembly. [12] Also, given the first-past-the-post system for the National Assembly, majority governments have been the rule in Botswana since independence.
† Died in office
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Elected [13] [14] | Term of office | Political party (Coalition) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
1 | Seretse Khama (1921–1980) [15] [16] | 1965 1969 1974 1979 | 30 September 1966 [17] | 13 July 1980 [†] [14] | 13 years, 287 days | BDP | |
2 | Quett Masire (1925–2017) [5] | 1984 1989 1994 | 18 July 1980 [14] | 31 March 1998 [14] | 17 years, 256 days | BDP | |
3 | Festus Mogae (born 1939) [18] | 1999 2004 | 1 April 1998 [19] | 1 April 2008 [20] | 10 years | BDP | |
4 | Ian Khama (born 1953) [21] | 2009 2014 | 1 April 2008 [22] | 1 April 2018 [23] | 10 years | BDP | |
5 | Mokgweetsi Masisi (born 1961) [24] | 2019 | 1 April 2018 [25] | 1 November 2024 | 6 years, 214 days | BDP | |
6 | Duma Boko (born 1969) | 2024 | 1 November 2024 [26] | Incumbent | 27 days | BNF (UDC) |
This is a graphical lifespan timeline of presidents of Botswana. The presidents are listed in order of office.
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.
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 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.
Ketumile Quett Joni Masire, GCMG, was the second and longest-serving president of Botswana, in office from 1980 to 1998. He was given an honorary knighthood of the Grand Cross of Saint Michael and Saint George by Queen Elizabeth II (GCMG) in 1991.
Sir Seretse Goitsebeng Maphiri Khama, GCB, KBE was a Botswana politician who served as the first President of Botswana, a post he held from 1966 to his death in 1980.
Louis Matshwenyego Fisher was commander of the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) from 1998 to 2006. He is a recipient of the Légion d'honneur and a Presidential Order of Honour.
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.
Botswana–South Africa relations refers to the historical and current relationship of Botswana and South Africa. Botswana has a high commission in Pretoria, and South Africa has a high commission in Gaborone. Both countries are former British colonies and members of the African Union, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Tshekedi Stanford Khama is a Botswana politician. He was MP for Serowe West from 2008 to 21 April 2023. He was automatically disqualified from the National Assembly after missing two consecutive sessions because of his self-imposed exile to South Africa.
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 who served as the fifth president of Botswana from 2018 to 2024. He served as the eighth 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.
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.
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.