Democratic Alliance celebrate Duma Boko election victory

South Africa’s right wing party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), says the election victory of Botswana’s new president Mr. Duma Gideon Boko marks a new era in the southern region of the continent.

The DA also welcomed the peaceful transfer of power from the outgoing president to Boko, and commended Mokgweetsi Masisi “for his statesmanship and magnanimity in his defeat”.

Boko took oath of his office, on Friday, in the presence of the country’s Chief Justice Terrence Rannowane in the capital Gaborone hours after being declared winner of Wednesday’s election.

The opposition leader was officially declared Botswana’s new president after the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) suffered a surprising defeat, ending its nearly six-decade reign.

“This development signals a wave of change in the Southern African region, where the once dominant political parties of independence and liberation, are gradually being replaced by parties campaigning on the promise of delivery and a better future,” DA leader John Steenhuisen said.

According to Botswana’s Independent Electoral Commission, opposition parties won at least 35 of the 61 seats in parliament, surpassing the threshold required to form a government.

Masisi, who had only served a single term after succeeding Ian Khama in 2019, conceded defeat in Gaborone, noting: “Unexpected as it is, it is a good time to take a rest. I worked six to seven days a week.”

The Umbrella for Democratic Change, led by Boko, secured 22 seats, while the Botswana Congress Party, led by Dumelang Saleshando, took eight.

The Botswana Patriotic Front, a party founded by supporters of former President Ian Khama, won five seats.

Under Botswana’s constitution, the party with a parliamentary majority elects the president, officially paving the way for Boko’s leadership.

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