The ruling BDP party is losing power after almost sixty years

Voters in Botswana have ousted the country’s long-ruling party in a political earthquake in the diamond-rich southern African country.

The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) – which has been in power since independence in 1966 – has won only three seats in parliament as of Friday morning. It looks like it will be replaced by the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC).

President Mokgweetsi Masisi agreed, saying that it is clear that his party lost heavily in Wednesday’s national election.

Despite the remarkable turnaround in Botswana, recent poor economic growth and unemployment have made the BDP popular.

“I will respectfully step aside and participate in the plans for a smooth transition before the inauguration,” Masisi said at a press conference on Friday.

“I wish to congratulate the opposition parties on their victory and allow the elections. I am proud of our democratic process and I respect the will of the people.”

He appealed to his supporters to calm down and support the new government.

The UDC and other opposition supporters have been protesting in the capital, Gaborone, and elsewhere in the country.

“I never thought I would see this change in my life,” said Mpho Mogorosi, a 23-year-old student who took to the streets of Gaborone, telling Reuters.

“The BDP has been in power for a long time and I am proud to be part of the people who removed them to get a better Botswana,” he said.

The UDC, led by the human rights lawyer, Duma Boko, has won 27 seats, according to preliminary figures.

The party will have the most seats in parliament and can pass 31 seats to have an outright majority.

It promised to implement a new economic strategy that creates good-paying jobs and creates wealth that empowers all citizens.

Kgoberego Nkawana, who was recently elected as a UDC Member of Parliament, told BBC’s Newsday that many young people in Botswana are still unemployed despite the abundance of diamonds and the country’s booming tourism industry.

“The unemployment rate is very high and people are living on handouts from the government because there are no jobs. So it’s really bad,” said Nkawana.

The group is committed to creating 450,000 to 500,000 jobs over five years.

The Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF), supported by former President Ian Khama who broke away from the BDP, has so far won five seats while the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) has won 12 seats as the situation stands.

As members of Parliament elect the president in Botswana, Boko is in a position to become the head of state when the parliament convenes for the first time.

Masisi – in office since 2018 – led an unsuccessful BDP campaign.

The president ran on the message that his party could bring about “reform”, but not enough voters were convinced that the BDP could do what was needed in the country.

The official results are expected to be announced by the election commission later on Friday.

Adding to Innocent Selatlhwa’s report in Gaborone