National Assembly of Botswana

The National Assembly of Botswana is part of the legislative branch of Botswana's National Government and thus has the primary role of debating and passing bills. == History ==

Pre-Colonial and colonial origins Often, in Botswana, chiefs govern locally by convening community meetings called “Kgotlas." Some scholars, like political scientist John Holm, point to such meetings as examples of how Tswana culture embodies themes of public discourse and debate. Evidently, these values exemplify popular notions of democratic principles. Within this cultural context, chiefs maintained local governance throughout colonial rule. Independence and the creation of a legislature In 1959, the resident commissioner of Botswana, Peter Fawcus, worked alongside prominent Batswana figures such as Seretse Khama to create a new Legislative Council. Then, soon after this event, a group composed of chiefs, white residents, and members of Botswana’s newly established political parties convened to draft the future Constitution of Botswana. After the 2019 general elections, the concern over the few women MPs resurfaced once again as only 3 women were elected to the National Assembly. In order to address this problem, president Mokgweetsi Masisi chose to nominate four women to the specially elected seats. Among the members nominated was notable human rights activist Dr. Unity Dow and financial official Peggy Serame. Following these nominations, a different significant event for the National Assembly occurred in March of 2020. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Masisi called for a six month state of public emergency in order to address the virus. This was only the second state of public emergency declaration in Botswana’s history. Yet, even though the National Assembly eventually approved the six month state of public emergency, there was still concern among members of opposition parties because of the powers that it would invest upon the president. As a result, the debate over approving the state of public emergency was shown on national television for the purpose of improving transparency. == Elections ==

Processes and trends The National Assembly is the only part of the Botswana National Government that private citizens elect. Regarding voter safety, 89% of Afrobarometer survey respondents expressed that they were able to vote freely without external pressure. Elections for the Botswana National Assembly occur every 5 years, with the last election occurring in 2024. For some political parties, elections for MPs are preceded by primaries. However, hosting primaries is not a legal obligation in Botswana. Additionally, there is currently no gender quota system for elections to the National Assembly. In a 2019 survey, support for a gender quota system was nearly evenly split: 48% approved and 47% disapproved. In order to be a candidate for MP, a person must be 18 years old, registered to vote, and also a citizen of Botswana. They also must be able to read and speak English. Along with this, there are circumstances in which a person can be disqualified from office. For example, a person cannot be bankrupt, labeled insane, or sentenced to imprisonment longer than six months. They also cannot actively be either a member of Ntlo ya Dikgosi or a public official that oversees elections. From 1965 to 2024, the BDP won a majority of seats in the National Assembly in every election. Yet, even though the BDP received consistent support (especially from rural constituencies), there was evidence that elections are growing more competitive over time. Over the course of the 2000s, the number of competitive constituencies increased. Along with this, the BDP secured more of its seats through pluralities instead of majorities in recent elections. In 2014, for the first time in the nation’s history, opposition parties won a majority of the total votes. Then, during the 2019 elections, former President Ian Khama switched loyalty and endorsed the opposition party Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC). Despite both of these notable events, however, the BDP maintained its majority of seats in the National Assembly. In the 2019 elections, the BDP won 29 seats and the UDC was well behind with only 13 seats. Three of the four remaining seats went to the Botswana Patriotic Front, while the other went to the Alliance for Progressives. The BDP was defeated for the first time in 2024, only obtaining 4 of the 61 contested seats (4th place) and obtaining 30.47% of votes (second place). Regarding voter participation, there were 900,000 voters who were registered for the 2019 elections. Additionally, the 2019 Afrobarometer survey showed that 63% of people (64% of women and 62% of men) voted in the 2014 parliamentary elections. Previously, in 1999, concern over voter participation had been a prominent news story in the country. Before the 1999 elections, 60,000 potential voters were accidentally disqualified when voter rolls were completed too late. Festus Mogae, who was the President at the time, declared the nation’s first state of public emergency in order to call the National Assembly and pass a law allowing unintentionally disenfranchised people to vote. results by constituency Previous National Assembly election results Note: In the pre-independence 1965 election, the Botswana Democratic Party was known as the Bechuanaland Democratic Party and the Botswana People's Party was known as the Bechuanaland People's Party. The chart also does not include ex-officio and co-opted members. == See also ==