| Parliament name |
Parliament |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
16 October 2009 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all elective seats in the National Assembly on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. |
The October 2009 elections were the first to be held under President Seretse Khama Ian Khama, who succeeded President Festus Mogae in April 2008. Incumbent President Khama, a former army commander, reportedly has considerable support due to the popularity of his father, Seretse Khama, who was Botswana's first post-independence President. The President is elected by the National Assembly.
In the previous elections held in October 2004, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), led by the then President Mogae, won 44 of the 57 directly elected seats. The main opposition force, the Botswana National Front (BNF), took 12 seats and the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) won the remaining seat.
The BDP has been in power since the country gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1966. Despite some infighting, the BDP was widely expected to win a landslide victory in the 2009 elections; the opposition forces were also divided.
The BDP fielded candidates in all 57 constituencies while the BNF and the BCP backed 48 and 42 candidates respectively. Although the BCP was in coalition with the Botswana Alliance Movement (BAM), these parties fielded their candidates separately. Two parties not represented in parliament - the Botswana People's Party (BPP) and the Marx Engels Lenin Stalin (MELS) Movement of Botswana - endorsed six and four candidates respectively. A total of 15 independent candidates, including one former BNF member who had been expelled from the party shortly before the elections, were also running. No independent candidate has ever won parliamentary representation in Botswana.
The 2009 elections were held against the backdrop of the global economic crisis, which severely affected the economy of the world's largest diamond producer. Botswana's economy shrank by 11.5 per cent in the fiscal year ending in June 2009.
The BDP pledged to secure the people's future and portrayed itself as a party to be trusted. It ran on its record, citing economic achievement, better education and training opportunities. It pledged to continue to fight poverty and unemployment.
The BNF, which considers itself as the "true party of the people", pledged to fight for democracy and establish a strong civil society with better social welfare. It pledged to provide decent housing and work for the poor.
The BCP-BAM promised to halt the economic downturn and pledged to bring democracy and prosperity instead of dictatorship and economic collapse.
The BPP promised to boost the country's economy through agricultural development and manufacturing. The MELS Movement of Botswana, led by Mr. Mogae Tawanana, pledged to fight imperialism and exploitation of the masses and enhance rural development.
In all, 76.71 per cent of the 723,000 registered voters in this country of 1.9 million inhabitants turned out at the polls.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) concluded that the elections had been "credible, peaceful, free and fair". It nevertheless noted a "slow polling process" and urged the election commission to introduce a simplified and more voter-friendly voting process.
The final results gave the BDP 45 seats. The BNF took six seats, followed by the BCP and the BAM which took four seats and one seat respectively. For the first time in Botswana's history, an independent candidate (a former BNF member) as well as a father and son entered the National Assembly. Two women were elected.
On 20 October, President Khama was sworn in for a second term. He subsequently appointed four more members, including two women.
On 21 October, the newly elected National Assembly held its first session. Ms. Margaret Nnananyana Nasha, an appointed member, was elected as its new Speaker, becoming the first woman to assume the post. Her candidature had been endorsed by the BDP. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 16 October 2009 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
723'617
555'078 (76.71%)
10'431
544'647 |
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of votes |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Candidates |
Votes |
|
|
% |
|
|
| Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) |
57 |
290'099 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Botswana National Front (BNF) |
48 |
119'509 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Botswana Congress Party (BCP) |
42 |
104'302 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Botswana Alliance Movement (BAM) |
4 |
12'387 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Independents |
15 |
10'464 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
|
|
|
|
| Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) |
45
|
|
|
|
|
| Botswana National Front (BNF) |
6
|
|
|
|
|
| Botswana Congress Party (BCP) |
4
|
|
|
|
|
| Botswana Alliance Movement (BAM) |
1
|
|
|
|
|
| Independents |
1
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
58
5
7.94%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
Note on the distribution of seats according to sex:
As at 28 October 2009, there were five women in the National Assembly: Two directly elected members, two appointed members and the Attorney General (National Assembly, 28.10.2009, 01.01.2014).
Sources:
- National Assembly (28.10.2009)
- Electoral Commission (23.10.2009)
- http://www.iec.gov.bw |
|
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
