Botswanan President Mokgweetsi Masisi has conceded defeat after his party lost its majority in a general election this week, ending nearly six decades of rule over the southern African state.
Masisi’s decision on Friday came after preliminary results show the opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) leading and the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) trailing in fourth place. According to partial tallies published by state news agency Radio Botswana, the ruling BDP has only three seats so far, while the UDC has won 25 of the 61-seat parliament. A party requires at least 31 seats to gain a majority and elect the president.
While the final results have not yet been announced, Masisi told journalists in Gaborone that his party “lost these elections decisively.” He went on to congratulate his rival, Duma Boko, the leader of the UDC party, on his victory as the “new president-elect.”
“We must come to terms with this outcome and embrace the transition as democrats. I urge each one of you to support the new government wholeheartedly, setting aside any conspiracy theories or doubts,” the leader stated.
Masisi was first elected president of the world’s second-largest diamond producer in 2018 as the candidate for the BDP, which has been in power since the country’s independence from Britain in 1966. He had hoped to win a second and final five-year term in Wednesday’s elections, promising to prioritize increasing agricultural output and mineral processing as part of policy changes under his administration.
Botswana has been facing economic challenges in recent years, primarily as a result of a downturn in the global diamond market, leading to a downgrade of the country’s 2024 growth forecast to 1% from an earlier IMF estimate of 3.6%.
The BDP is credited with ensuring the rapid transformation of one of the world’s poorest countries into a fast-growing economy following its independence. Opposition groups, however, have blamed it for the current challenges, including the landlocked state’s record 27.6% unemployment rate in the first quarter of this year.
Aside from the decline in gemstone production and trade, President Masisi has stated that the Covid-19 pandemic hampered his government’s efforts to create jobs and improve the economy.
“Although I wanted to stay on as your president, I respect the will of the people, and I congratulate the president-elect. I will step aside, and I will support the new administration,” the 63-year-old former teacher said on Friday.
Despite not yet issuing an official statement about his victory, President-elect Boko, a lawyer and Harvard Law School graduate, has posted a banner on X with the words “President Duma Gideon Boko.”