Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi said on November 1, he would “step aside” after his party suffered a resounding defeat in general elections, according to preliminary tallies.
Botswana 's President and the Botswana Democratic Party presidential candidate, Mokgweetsi Masisi, said he would “step aside” after his party suffered a defeat in the general elections, according to preliminary tallies. Picture: Monirul Bhuiyan / AFP Botswana 's president conceded defeat on Friday after his party which has governed the diamond-rich African country for nearly six decades suffered a resounding defeat in general elections.
While counting was still underway after Wednesday's general election, preliminary results showed the UDC well ahead in the race for seats in the parliament of the arid and sparsely populated nation. Although the election authority is not likely to confirm the results until later Friday, initial scores meant Masisi's Botswana Democratic Party , which has been in power since independence from Britain in 1966, could not get enough seats to govern.
"I will respectfully step aside and participate in a smooth and transparent transition process ahead of inauguration," he said. "Botswana's new dawn as Boko, UDC rise," the independent Mmegi newspaper wrote on Facebook."BDP faces crushing parliamentary, council defeat," it added.A key concern for voters was unemployment which has risen to 27 percent this year and a slump in the economy due in part to weakened diamond sales, Botswana's single biggest revenue earner, with growth projected to slow to one percent in 2024.
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