Botswana voters kick out ruling party of nearly six decades

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By Brian Benza

GABORONE (Reuters) -Botswana’s voters delivered a shock defeat to the party that has ruled them for nearly six decades, registering their anger over economic stagnation linked to a decline in the diamond trade by handing victory to opposition presidential candidate Duma Boko.

The 54-year-old, of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) coalition, will replace President Mokgweetsi Masisi, who on Friday conceded defeat after his Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) lost by a landslide for the first time in 58 years.

“From tomorrow… I will start the process of handover,” Masisi said in an audio clip posted on social media of his phone call to Boko, signalling a smooth power transition.

In his first public remarks after being sworn-in as the new president, Boko said he was humbled by the election outcome.

“I pledge with every fibre of my being that I will do everything I can, not to fail, not to disappoint, appreciating always the enormity of the responsibility bestowed upon me by the people of this republic. It is their government,” he said.

Analysts blamed mounting economic grievances, particularly among young people, for the downfall of the BDP, which has governed the southern African state of around 2.5 million people since independence from Britain in 1966.

Like many African countries, Botswana’s economy has largely depended on the export of a single commodity – in its case, diamonds.

Unlike many, its leaders have largely resisted the urge to steal or squander their commodity windfall, instead spending it on health, education and social welfare. Botswana’s GDP per capita was $7,250 in 2023 – compared with an average for sub-Saharan Africa of $4,800, World Bank data shows.

But a downturn in the global diamond market caused economic growth to plummet this year to a projected 1%, while unemployment rose to 28%.

Botswana is the world’s top producer by value of diamonds, and the government owns a 15% stake in diamond giant De Beers, a unit of Anglo American. Masisi last year negotiated a bigger share of its raw diamonds with the company.

“We are an economy that depends on diamonds… So we’ve got to try and safeguard the goose that lays for us the golden egg in the short to medium term, at the very least,” Boko said.

He said he would try to reach out to De Beers “as quickly as possible” to hear its concerns.

“As matters stand, they have been considering walking away, not signing at all, which is dire, (a) very dangerous position to be in as a country,” he said.

‘NOTHING TO OFFER’

Local newspaper Mmegi showed that based on results from 58 of 61 constituencies, the UDC had won 35 seats in parliament, four more than it needed for a majority. The largest party chooses the president. The BDP was in last place out of four parties, with only four seats.

“After 58 years in power (the BDP) didn’t have anything new to offer,” said analyst Ringisai Chikohomero of the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies.

The UDC, by contrast, put forward ambitious policy proposals, he said. It pledged to more than double the minimum wage, improve social services and create a more independent judiciary, among other measures.

The capital Gaborone was calm on Friday, with small groups of opposition supporters celebrating in the streets.

“I did not ever think I would witness this change in my life,” 23-year-old student Mpho Mogorosi said. “The BDP had stayed too long … and I am proud to be part of the people that removed them.”

The BDP was the second long-ruling party in southern Africa to lose its majority at the polls this year, after South Africa’s African National Congress failed to win more than half of votes for the first time in 30 years.

Neighbouring Namibia will hold elections later this month in which the ruling SWAPO party, which has governed since 1990, is also expected to face a stiff challenge.

“The outcome of Botswana’s elections should serve as a warning to long-time ruling parties across southern Africa and beyond that without economic progress and employment opportunities, political dominance will falter,” said Zaynab Hoosen, an Africa analyst at consultancy Pangea-Risk.

(Reporting by Brian Benza; Additional reporting by Nellie Peyton and Bhargav Acharya in Johannesburg; writing by Nellie Peyton; Editing by Alexander Winning, Tim Cocks and Ros Russell)