Botswana movement for democracy party

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Botswana movement for democracy party: The Botswana Movement for

Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikidata item. Political party in Botswana. Botswana Movement for Democracy. Politics of Botswana Political parties Elections. History [ edit ]. Early years and growth — [ edit ]. Party split and decline — [ edit ]. Tiego leadership and rightward shift —present [ edit ]. Electoral history [ edit ].

National Assembly [ edit ]. Local elections [ edit ]. Khama controversially appointed Mokgweetsi Masisi as vice-president after the election. Masisi became president inafter Khama retired at the expiry of his second term of five years. The two soon fell out and their relationship became acrimonious. Just before the election Khama formed a breakaway party, Botswana Patriotic Front.

Both Khama and Masisi used tribalism in their campaigns for the election. Some businesses reduced production or shut down. Unemploymentpoverty, economic inequality and crime soared. The government had to draw from its foreign reserves to support the population and buy COVID vaccines. Like Khama, Masisi used an unaccountable intelligence service to target rivals.

State resources were misused in a vendetta against Khama, who fled to South Africa in late He returned in October hoping to unseat Masisi in the election. Courts dismissed cases against Khama as frivolous. Masisi rejected reconciliation efforts from ruling party elders. A UN review accused him of human rights abuses. By the time of the election, government coffers were in distress.

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Botswana movement for democracy party: The Botswana Movement for Democracy

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Months later, an electoral fraud scandal, known as "Botswana Watergate," led to a re-election in Gaborone South in which Koma defeated vice-president Mmusi and assumed the role of Leader of the Opposition. The government had to address these challenges through aggressive food aid policies. The BDP government also faced increasing pressure from Apartheid South Africa, which resulted in the military intervention of the South African Defence Force in Gaborone on Junedirected against members of the ANC stationed in the country due to the passivity of the Botswana armed forces.

The second half of the s witnessed a significant decline in electoral support for the BDP as Botswana's population underwent urbanization, foreshadowing the considerable decline it would experience in the following decade. Nonetheless, the party still managed to secure 31 of the 34 parliamentary seats. These elections revealed the significant overrepresentation of rural areas compared to urban areas.

The s marked the end of the economic boom in Botswana that had characterized the previous three decades. Unemployment and poverty increased as a consequence of reduced demand for diamonds, copper and nickel, driven by the global recession. The country continued to experience growing urbanization, creating an urban class less influenced by tribal divisions and a more vocal, politicized population.

Informal settlements began to emerge in urban areas like GaboroneFrancistownSelebi-Phikwe and Lobatse. These rapid demographic changes, combined with the worsening economic and social situation, eroded popular support for the BDP. Within the party, which had been previously unified and disciplined, factionalism and internal conflicts began to surface, setting the tone for the party's future.

While President Masire's leadership remained unquestioned, internal clashes between factions within the cabinet became commonplace. Despite Botswana's reputation for comparatively low corruption in sub-Saharan Africa, the first half of the decade was marred by scandals. One of the most notable scandals involved the irregular sale of tlandwhich led to the resignations of Vice-president Peter Mmusi and the then Minister of Agriculture, Daniel Kwelagobeboth high-ranking officials in the former ruling party.

The Botswana general election took place against a backdrop of economic complexity and increasing demands for transparency in electoral administration by the opposition. The BDP suffered a significant decline and only won 26 of the 39 contested seats. The BNF made gains by capitalizing on urban discontent and even penetrated the party's rural base for the first time, achieving important advances in local elections.

After the elections, the political climate in Botswana deteriorated. The supplementary election in the Thamaga parliamentary constituency, delayed due to the sudden death of Mmusi a candidate in that constituencyhighlighted the internal crisis of the BDP. Factionalism increased as the central leadership imposed Gladys Kokorwe 's candidacy despite the local congress overwhelmingly electing Kabo Morwaeng.

Nonetheless, the BDP retained the seat.

Botswana movement for democracy party: The Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD),

In Januarya series of demonstrations in Mochudi and Gaborone culminated in a student protest in front of the Parliament building, which was met with severe police repression, regarded as one of the most serious cases of police brutality in the country's history. This event prompted Masire's government to accede to some of the opposition's reformist demands, leading to the first bipartisan negotiations in post-independence Botswana.

The reforms implemented included the creation of the Independent Electoral Commission IEClowering the voting age from 21 to 18, allowing voting abroad and setting a ten-year limit equivalent to two terms on the presidency. The BDP also adopted a series of internal reforms, including a primary election system known as " buleladitswe ", lit. Despite these changes, the constitutional limit was not retroactive.

Masire resigned as president and leader of the BDP on March 31,handing power to vice-president Festus Mogae, while the vice presidency remained in the hands of Seretse Khama's son, Ian Khama. The BDP adopted an internal reform that implemented the same limit for party leadership, setting the leadership change to occur a year and a half before the regular general elections, giving the incumbent president a prolonged interim period to reinforce their public image and avoid the wear and tear of the outgoing administration.

The economic situation improved in the following years, stabilizing popular support for the BDP. The government maintained an international reputation for adhering to the rule of law. However, factionalism plagued the BDP throughout the s, raising concerns that the party might split. Despite these challenges, Mogae's leadership managed to maintain unity during the elections, where the BDP reaffirmed its majority with 44 of the 57 contested seats.

The transition of party leadership began, with Khama becoming increasingly active in politics before succeeding Mogae as president on 20 March French president Nicolas Sarkozy awarded Mogae the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor for his "exemplary leadership" in making Botswana a "model" of democracy and good governance and he also received the Ibrahim Prize that same year.

In his inaugural speech, Khama pledged to continue the course set by the Mogae administration, ruling out "radical changes. Upon taking office, Khama stepped down as the BDP leader and Kwelagobe, belonging to a rival faction and a leader of the party's old guard, was selected to replace him. The Barata-Phathi faction, including Gomolemo Motswaledialongside Kwelagobe, criticized Khama's leadership during his early months in office, accusing him of exceeding his prerogatives as a party leader.

Khama's initial year in power was characterized by his decision to lead the BDP to adopt a hardline stance against the ZANU—PF regime, led by Robert Mugabe sinceduring the country's violent elections. Several months later, Kwelagobe and Khama reached a separate agreement to defuse their conflict and project an image of unity in preparation for the Botswana general election.

They also gained control of the Gaborone City Council for the first time since The outcome solidified Khama's control over the party, even though questions about his leadership style persisted throughout his term. The remainder of the period was marked by economic challenges stemming from Great Recession that significantly impacted Botswana's economy.

Khama implemented harsh austerity measures recommended by the International Monetary Fundleading to conflicts with both the influential Botswana Federation of Public Sector Unions BOFEPUSUwhich staged the longest public service strike in the country's history in and a substantial faction within the BDP that disapproved of these policies.

The general election was a significant setback for the BDP, marking its worst result in history at that time. The party's losses were particularly pronounced in urban areas, experiencing a resounding defeat in the Gaborone City Council elections, where they ranked third in parliamentary strength behind the UDC and the BCP. The outcome was attributed to the dissatisfaction of young urban voters with Khama's economic management, while rural voters remained loyal to the party, especially in the Ngwato tribe 's territory in the Central District.

After the elections, Khama initiated a cabinet reshuffle and appointed his former Minister of Education, Mokgweetsi Masisias vice-president and therefore his direct successor as president. Seen as closely associated with Khama, Masisi inherited a government and a party suffering a sharp decline in popularity and a weakened economy.

Additionally, he faced a united and nominally strengthened opposition after the Botswana Congress Party joined the UDC. Shortly after taking office, Masisi adopted a leadership style distinct from his predecessor and began to politically marginalize the Khama family while revoking various privileges. He also reversed botswana movement for democracy party of Khama's controversial policies and adopted a more conciliatory stance towards the unions.

Between andthe relationship between the new president and Khama deteriorated to the point where the family severed ties with the BDP in earlyaccusing Masisi of "treason. Looking ahead to the Botswana general electionthe BDP adjusted its discourse and adopted a more personalized approach, emphasizing a forward-looking perspective and definitively breaking with the previous administration.

The election brought about a significant shift in Botswana's electoral politics. However, it enjoyed unexpected growth in urban areas and dominated in the southern part of the country, where most of the opposition's primary strongholds had been situated. Ultimately, his appeal was dismissed.