The Consolidation of the Botswana Democratic Party

Abstract

Political parties in Africa are generally seen as devices aimed at the personal empowerment of leaders or the advancement of ethnic interests. These are therefore organizations with a short lifespan. As the multi-party democracy model gains popularity on the continent, new literature is pointing out that consolidated political parties more like those existing in Western countries are beginning to emerge. The emphasis of this research will be put on the Botswana Democratic Party. Botswana is reputed to be the oldest stable democracy in Africa and the party has been in power since independence through free and fair elections. The main objective here is to situate the BDP in the context of the literature on African political parties. This MRP will argue that the BDP is a consolidated political party. This argument is developed in three main points. First, the party had solid foundations from its very beginning because of its ability to have a clear legitimation process for its candidates, the anglophilia sentiment of the founding fathers and the help of the British administration. Secondly, although it does not have a precisely defined ideology, it is an organization that has been structured around the same political values and ideas throughout its history. The party was faithful to its proposals regardless of the leader brought to power. It was also a party with the capacity to evolve, adjust by the context and able to go deeper in some of their main policies proposals. Finally, the BDP was able to overcome divisions. The party crossed two splits in 2010 with the Botswana Movement for Democracy and the Botswana Patriotic Front in 2019. These two events were marked by the action of former President Seretse Khama Ian Khama. Despite these partitions, the party was able to overcome troubled times to be re-elected in 2019. The two splits were therefore not a sign of a weakening but rather a proof of its consolidation process. List of acronyms BCP Botswana Congress Party BDP Botswana Democratic Party BMD Botswana Movement for Democracy BNF Botswana National Front BPF Botswana Patriotic Front BPP Botswana People's Party UDC Umbrella for Democratic Change