GABORONE, Botswana: Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi announced he would step aside following a significant defeat in the general election, acknowledging the victory of opposition parties in an unexpected shift of power.
Preliminary tallies from Wednesday’s vote revealed that three opposition groups together secured more than 31 of the 61 seats in Botswana’s parliament. The majority mark of 31 seats will grant the opposition an automatic victory and the right to install their candidate as president.
The left-leaning Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), led by human rights lawyer Duma Boko, captured the majority of opposition seats, securing at least 24 and setting a clear path toward leadership if the results are confirmed. The other opposition factions, Botswana Congress Party and Botswana Patriotic Front, won around a dozen seats collectively.
Masisi, who became president in 2018, pledged to support a smooth transition, stating that his party, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), will move into the role of loyal opposition after ruling the country since its independence in 1966.
