List of general elections in Botswana

A parliamentary layout diagram displaying the 2024 Botswana Election results using color-coded dots. The top section contains 18 dots (15 green, 3 red) grouped separately. The larger bottom section totals 45 dots arranged in three rows, consisting of 38 blue dots, 4 yellow dots, 2 dark gray dots, and 1 light gray dot.
Composition of the Parliament of Botswana as of 2026[a]

Botswana is a parliamentary republic with an executive presidency operating under a multi-party system.[2][3][4] General elections are held every five years to elect representatives to the National Assembly of Botswana, which is the country's unicameral legislature, an electoral system which relies on single-member constituencies and uses first-past-the-post voting.[5][6] The country first adopted universal suffrage during the 1965 Bechuanaland general election.[7]

The President of Botswana is chosen indirectly by the National Assembly, meaning that the presidential candidate that belongs to the political party which secures a governing majority of elected seats is automatically sworn in as president.[4] Each president is limited to two five-year terms; Quett Masire, the second president, created Botswana's term limit in 1997.[8] The country has held 13 general elections since having self-governance.

Until 2024, Botswana operated under a dominant-party system led by the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which was founded by the nation's first president, Sir Seretse Khama.[9][3] However, the 2024 general election broke this streak after the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) secured a legislative majority, resulting in the country's first democratic transition of power.[10][3] Changes in population growth and constituency boundaries have caused the total number of directly elected seats in the National Assembly to steadily increase over time, going from 31 seats in 1965 to 61 seats by 2024.[11]

List

List of general elections in Botswana
Election Winner Runner-up Seats won by
other parties		 Total seats Voter turnout References
Party Seats won Party Seats won
1961[b] BPFP N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A [14][15][16]
1965 BDP 28 BPP 3 0 31 74.55% [17][15][18]
1969 BDP 24 BNF 3 4 31 54.7% [18][19]
1974 BDP 27 BNF 2 3 32 31.2% [18][20]
1979 BDP 29 BNF 2 1 32 58.4% [18][21]
1984 BDP 29 BNF 4 1 34 77.6% [18][22]
1989 BDP 31 BNF 3 0 34 68.2% [18][23][24]
1994 BDP 27 BNF 13 0 40 76.6% [18][25][26]
1999 BDP 33 BNF 6 1 40 77.11% [18][27][28]
2004 BDP 44 BNF 12 1 57 76.2% [18][29][30]
2009 BDP 45 BNF 6 6 57 76.71% [18][30][31][32]
2014 BDP 37 UDC 17 3 57 84.75% [30][33]
2019 BDP 38 UDC 15 4 57 84.1% [30][34]
2024 UDC 36 BCP 15 10 61 81.42% [10][35][36]

Notes

  1. ↑ The parliament comprises 61 directly elected constituency members, six specially elected members, and two ex-officio members.[1]
  2. ↑ A new constitution in 1960 created a Legislative Council, an Executive Council, and an Advisory African Council. The Legislative Council had just over 30 members; 10 colonial officials, 10 blacks, 10 whites, one Asian and some co-opted members. Seretse Khama received the most votes in the election for the black representatives.[12][13][14]

References

  1. ↑ "Botswana National Assembly 2024 General". International Foundation for Electoral Systems Election Guide. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  2. ↑ "Botswana". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 Muia, Wycliffe; Zane, Damian (1 November 2024). "Botswana ruling party rejected after 58 years in power". BBC News. Archived from the original on 4 February 2025. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Botswana (12/09)". US Department of State. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  5. ↑ "Botswana at a Glance". Embassy of the Republic of Botswana in Washington, D.C. 2024. Archived from the original on 8 May 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  6. ↑ Molomo, Mpho G (2023). "Democracy and Botswana's Electoral System" (PDF). Journal of African Elections. 5 (2): 1. eISSN 2415-5837. ISSN 1609-4700. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 November 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  7. ↑ Lodge, Tom; Kadima, Denis; Pottie, David, eds. (2002). "Botswana". Compendium of elections in Southern Africa (2002). EISA. pp. 42–43. Archived from the original on 27 April 2023.
  8. ↑ "Botswana: Freedom in the world 2023 country report". Freedom House. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  9. ↑ Warren, Shana. "Botswana's ruling party has been in power 50 years. That could change this week". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 28 March 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  10. 1 2 "Botswana: October 30". Africa Center for Strategic Studies. 1 October 2024. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  11. ↑ Chapter V, Section 64, Constitution of Botswana, 1965
  12. ↑ "The Bechuanaland Protectorate (Constitution) order in council, 1960 (1960 No. 2416)" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 21 December 1960. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 December 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2026., Section 3, Section 21, & Section 53
  13. ↑ "The Bechuanaland Protectorate". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Lords. 28 July 1960.
  14. 1 2 "Seretse Khama gains most votes". The Times. No. 55084. 18 May 1961. p. 12.
  15. 1 2 "Late British colonialism (1945–1966)". EISA Botswana. 27 April 2023. Archived from the original on 27 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  16. ↑ "Botswana profile - Timeline". BBC News. 11 April 2011. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  17. ↑ "The 1965 pre-independence general election". EISA Botswana. 27 April 2023. Archived from the original on 27 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Elections in Botswana". African Elections Database. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  19. ↑ Macartney, W.J.A. (1971). "The general election of 1969". Botswana Notes and Records. 3: 33–34. ISSN 0525-5090. JSTOR 40979273. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  20. ↑ "The October 1974 general election". EISA Botswana. 12 April 2020. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  21. ↑ "The October 1979 general election". EISA Botswana. 10 April 2021. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  22. ↑ "Botswana" (PDF). Inter-Parliamentary Union. 1984. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  23. ↑ "The October 1989 general election". EISA Botswana. 30 August 2020. Archived from the original on 30 August 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  24. ↑ "Botswana: Parliamentary elections National Assembly, 1989". Inter-Parliamentary Union. Archived from the original on 28 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  25. ↑ "Botswana: Parliamentary elections National Assembly, 1994". Inter-Parliamentary Union. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  26. ↑ "The October 1994 general election". EISA Botswana. 17 March 2020. Archived from the original on 17 March 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  27. ↑ "Botswana: Parliamentary elections National Assembly, 1999". Inter-Parliamentary Union. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  28. ↑ "The October 1999 general election". EISA Botswana. 2 October 2013. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  29. ↑ "IPU PARLINE database: Botswana (National Assembly), elections in 2004". Inter-Parliamentary Union. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  30. 1 2 3 4 "Country profile: Botswana". IFES Election Guide. International Foundation for Electoral Systems Election Guide. Archived from the original on 8 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  31. ↑ "Election results". IEC Botswana. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  32. ↑ "2009 National Assembly election results". EISA Botswana. 16 November 2022. Archived from the original on 16 November 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  33. ↑ "2014 general elections report" (PDF). IEC Botswana. pp. 30–31. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  34. ↑ "Elections: Botswana Parliament 2019". International Foundation for Electoral Systems Election Guide. Archived from the original on 8 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  35. ↑ "Election calendar". Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa. Archived from the original on 23 February 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  36. ↑ Mathala, Sharon (15 February 2023). "Four new constituencies come 2024". Mmegi. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
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