Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi has announced his intention to “step aside” following a significant defeat of his party in the recent general elections, as indicated by preliminary results.
Naijaonpoint understands that the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which has governed the diamond-rich nation since gaining independence from Britain in 1966, faced a challenging electoral outcome.
While the official results from Wednesday’s election are anticipated to be released by the electoral commission later on Friday, initial counts reveal that three opposition parties have collectively secured at least 31 out of 61 seats in the national legislature.
According to Botswana’s electoral regulations, the first party to achieve 31 seats will be declared the victor and will have the authority to appoint its candidate as president.
“I wish to congratulate the opposition on their victory and concede the election,” Masisi told journalists during a press conference Friday morning, adding it had been “a good journey”.
Masisi, who took office in 2018, said he would “begin all administrative work to facilitate the transition.”
“We are quite happy to retreat into being a loyal opposition and to hold the government accountable,” said the 63-year-old leader who had been confident of securing a second term.
The opposition coalition, Umbrella for Democratic Change, which leans towards the left, has obtained over 24 seats, as reported by party official Mike Keakopa to AFP.
The coalition is striving to achieve a total of 31 seats in order to secure a definitive victory.
Should this be validated, their candidate, Duma Boko, a human rights attorney educated at Harvard, would assume the presidency.
Additionally, the other two opposition parties, the Botswana Congress Party and the Botswana Patriotic Front, collectively garnered approximately a dozen seats.