The President of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), Mokgweetsi Masisi, expressed his belief that Batswana will not receive what they anticipated from the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) government. While acknowledging there was no cheating involved in the election, Masisi said his party would conduct further investigations into the loss. He attributed the BDP’s defeat largely to the ambitious promises made by the opposition, particularly the UDC and the Botswana Congress Party (BCP).
“If you compare our manifesto with those of the main opposition parties, the UDC and the BCP, you’ll see they promised people large sums of money,” Masisi explained. “Imagine, you’re unemployed, the economy is underperforming, and then you’re told things will drastically improve. On election day, you could feel the excitement in the air. People were filled with hope and voted for them, convinced better days were coming,” he added, appearing frustrated by the situation. Masisi admitted that the BDP’s campaign could not match the appeal of the opposition’s promises.
He further stated that the BDP only promised what they believed Botswana’s economy could handle. “We condemn these promises because we doubt they can be delivered. They’re unrealistic and could lead to serious problems. Prices would skyrocket, the economy might collapse, and our standing with international financiers could suffer. Our main revenue source, diamonds, has faced low demand, and prices dropped during the election cycle, which we couldn’t control,” he said.
Despite the loss, Masisi expressed pride that a substantial number of BDP supporters voted for the party, which achieved the second-highest vote count nationally. He noted that under a proportional representation system, the BDP would have won more legislative seats. “I’m not criticizing the First Past The Post system,” he clarified. “We’re a national party and campaigned across the country. We believe we can regroup and return to power in 2029,” he added, emphasizing plans to investigate the election results to come back stronger.
Masisi reiterated that he would not seek another term as BDP president and plans to step down next year at the end of his current mandate. He rejected any suggestion of resigning immediately, saying it would have been irresponsible and cowardly. “I never considered stepping down hastily. As a leader of such a large organization, quitting after a loss would have been irresponsible. I’m here to stay, talk with the people, and ensure the transition to a new leader is smooth,” he said, mentioning his plans to meet with BDP members, including those who criticized him on social media.
Masisi also acknowledged the role BCP President Dumelang Saleshando played in 2014 when he distanced the BCP from the UDC, a move Masisi believes spared the BDP from losing power back then. “It wasn’t the first time we came close to losing an election. If it hadn’t been for Saleshando and the BCP leaving the UDC in 2014, we would have lost. We only managed to secure 47% of the popular vote back then, barely keeping power,” he noted, expressing his gratitude to Saleshando.
