News Brief 6 November 2024
Botswana Democratic Party ousted after 58 years in charge
The weekend announcement that the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) had lost the election for the first time in Botswana’s history signalled the end of 58 years of single-party governance. The BDP had been the ruling party since Botswana gained independence in 1966.
The Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) knocked the BDP off its perch as it secured an absolute majority, in so doing elevating Duma Boko to the position of President of Botswana. Such was the swing in voter energy that the BDP didn’t even take the role of opposition party… instead they were totally to the back benches.
The Botswana Congress Party (BCP) earned second place to take up the position of official opposition, while all but 4 BDP MPs lost their seats, which was a dramatic swing for the party that had enjoyed almost 60 years in charge of the country.
Botswana Election stats
– UDC claimed 36 of the 61 seats in the National Assembly
– 31 seats are needed for a majority
– Registered voter increased by 12.19% to 1,038,275
– Voter turnout was an astonishingly high (by most standards) 81.42%, although in Botswana’s case it represented a decrease of 2.73
– BDP dropped from 52.65% of the vote (and 38 seats in the National Assembly), down to just 4 seats
– The BDP picked up 254,632 (30.49%) of the votes in the popular vote, while the UDC picked up 310,862 (37.22%) to secure their win.
Africa’s next elections
A total of 19 countries in Africa went to the poles this year or will be going to the poles in the last two months of the year. Here are the remaining poles:
10 November – Mauritius general election
13 November – Somaliland presidential election
16 November – Gabon constitutional referendum
16 November – Nigeria (Ondo State gubernatorial election)
17 November – Senegal parliamentary election
24 November – Guinea-Bissau parliamentary and presidential election
27 November – Namibia general election
7 December – Ghana general election
29 December – Chad parliamentary election
Africa lacking power for all its people
According to a recent study by PwC, there are close to 600-millions Africans who live without access to reliable power. PwC released their Africa Energy Report on Friday, and it revealed that clean generation capacity had risen by 7.1% in 2023, and one of the report writers (Andries Rossouw of PwC) has predicted that Africa’s clean power generation could rise to 25% during 2025. This anticipated increase comes as a result of the huge growth in solar energy, wind capacity and hydro-generated powers.
“While Africa has seen an overall increase in clean energy generating capacity, actual power generated in 2023 increased by less than 1% from the previous year,” cautioned Rossouw.
“Power generated over the last decade has increased by 12.5%, which is four times less than the increased capacity,” he added.
What impact will the US election have on Africa?
Writing in the Lusaka Times in 2 November, Chief Editor Bertie Jacobs wrote about slim lead in the polls that Democratic nominee Kamala Harris has over the Republican candidate, MAGA-icon Donald Trump. With over 60 million Americans having already cast their votes early ahead of the official voting day set for Tuesday, pundits are suggesting that there is likely to be an increase in votes for Harris as a result of a tide of angry female voters railing against the Republicans’ hardline stance towards female health issues and abortion.
Jacobs wrote about the impact a both candidates could have on Africa if elected, and referenced the writings of two political experts from the North-West University (NWU) in South Africa.
Prof Kedibone Phago, director of the NWU’s School for Government Studies: “The US is one of the main trading partners for a number of African countries. A Trump presidency could mean that some African countries’ geopolitical positioning may be put under immense pressure to either choose friends and allies of the US to maintain favourable and friendly relations with the US.
“Kamala Harris has already visited Africa, projecting a positive stance of her administration towards the continent. She is expected to support the continuation of AGOA with eligible African states that are benefiting from this agreement.”
Dr Sysman Motloung, Political and international relations expert: “The US has a vested interest in ensuring the US dollar maintains its status as the world’s reserve currency. A close look at both candidates’ platforms reveals a primary focus on domestic issues, with little emphasis on foreign policies that might negatively impact African countries. In other words, life will go on, with much remaining the same.”
