Botswana’s ruling party loses power after six decades, early results show

President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s Botswana Democratic Party loses parliamentary majority in shock defeat.

Botswana’s governing party has suffered a shock election defeat after nearly six decades in power, preliminary election results show.

President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) lost its grip on power on Friday after opposition parties won 31 of 61 seats in parliament, tallies released by the electoral commission showed.

The BDP, which has governed the diamond-rich Southern African nation since 1966, had won only one seat as of early Friday morning.

Umbrella for Democratic Change, led by Harvard University-trained human rights lawyer Duma Boko, won 19 seats and the Botswana Congress Party, headed by economist Dumelang Saleshando, took seven, according to the early tallies.

Botswana Patriotic Front, established by followers of former President Ian Khama after his exit from the BDP, secured five seats.