PRESIDENT MASISI CONCEDES ELECTION DEFEAT, ENDING 58 YEARS OF BDP RULE IN BOTSWANA

Masisi’s concession on Friday came before the final results were announced, with his Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) trailing in fourth place, according to tallies by the electoral commission.

“We got it wrong big time in the eyes of the people,” Masisi told a news conference in the capital, Gaborone.

“We were really convinced of our message. But every indication, by any measure, is that there’s no way that I can pretend that we’re going to form a government.”

The president, who was seeking a second five-year term in Wednesday’s election, said he would “step aside”. 

“I wish to congratulate the opposition on their victory and concede the election,” Masisi said.

The results are expected to be confirmed by the electoral commission later on Friday.

Under the country’s electoral system, the first party to take 31 of 61 seats in the legislature will be declared the winner, install its candidate as president and form a government.

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The BDP has governed the diamond-rich Southern African nation since 1966 and was expected to win.

The main opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) held a strong lead in the partial results, making its leader, Duma Boko, the likely candidate for president.

Masisi said he had called Boko to inform him he was conceding defeat.

UDC had already secured 25 seats, according to the official partial count, and was aiming to reach 31 seats to become the outright winner and hand the presidency to human rights lawyer Boko.

Boko, 54, created the UDC in 2012 to unite opposition groups against the BDP.

“CHANGE IS HERE,” Boko wrote on Facebook as small street celebrations were under way in parts of Gaborone. It is the third time that he has run for president, previously contesting in 2014 and 2019.

The opposition Botswana Congress Party won seven seats and the Botswana Patriotic Front had five seats, with the BDP at just three, the partial tally showed.

This means the BDP has officially lost the election.

Masisi, a 63-year-old former high school teacher and UNICEF worker, had been widely expected to keep his parliamentary majority and serve a second and final term.

Often held up as one of Africa’s greatest success stories, Botswana ranks among the wealthiest and most stable democracies on the continent.

But a global downturn in demand for mined diamonds, which account for more than 80 percent of Southern African exports, has taken a toll on the economy.

Economic growth is expected to slow to 1 percent in 2024, according to the International Monetary Fund, down from 2.3 percent last year and 5.5 percent in 2022.

Unemployment has risen to 27 percent, with an even greater share of young people out of work.

Before the vote, the BDP had acknowledged the need to diversify the economy, pledging to develop new drivers of growth such as agriculture and tourism.

“I am proud of our democratic processes. Although I wanted a second term, I will respectfully step aside and participate in a smooth transition process,” Masisi said.

More than one million people were registered to vote of a population of 2.6 million.