from ODIRILE TOTENG in Gaborone, Botswana
Botswana Bureau
GABORONE, (CAJ News) – INCUMBENT President, Mokgweetsi Masisi, has conceded defeat after his Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) was on the verge of losing power.
He will suffer the ignominy of overseeing the removal in power of the party that has ruled since independence in almost six decades.
The party’s performance in the October 30 poll has been awful and at last count early Friday had secured only two seats and was running last in a four-horse race poll dominated by the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), led by Duma Boko.
UDC was ahead with 26 seats in the 61-member National Assembly. Botswana Congress Party (BCP) was trailing with eight and the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) with three.
The opposition cumulatively has amassed an unassailable lead, prompting Masisi to call a press conference on Friday.
“I will respectfully step aside and participate in a smooth transition process ahead of inauguration,” he said at the presser.
UDC has been edging towards an outright majority, with Boko, a three-time candidate in the elections, tipped for victory in the presidential race.
Masisi’s acceptance of defeat is a landmark move in a region and continent where incumbents cling on to power even after defeat.
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) was scheduled to officially announce the results later on Friday confirming the defeat of the BDP, in power since independence from Britain in 1966.
– CAJ News