“Duma Gideon Boko #Botswana President-elect is the leader of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC). A Coalition of Botswana National Front, Botswana Movement for Democracy and Alliance for Progressives). Duma is the Botswana National Front). He served as the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly from 2014 to 2019” (Zenzele, 01.11.2024).
In Gaborone and Botswana there is a new day. A total game changer. This is a new normal, as the Umbrella Democratic Change (UDC) is taking power. It is the fall of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP). After close to the 60 years in power and having office. There is now new people and a new team taking over.
That Duma Gideon Boko is the President-Elect and the UDC will have most of the seats in the National Assembly too. He has slammed the previous administration and the party of 58 years. The BDP will just get a tiny minority, and it is compelling.
The outgoing President Mokgweetsi Masisi speech said this:
“We have lost these elections overwhelmingly. I am proud of our democratic processes. Although I wanted to stay on as your president, I respect the will of the people and I congratulate the president-elect. I will step aside and I will participate in a smooth transition process and will support the new administration. He will enjoy my support. I wish to congratulate the opposition on their victory and concede the election. We are quite happy to retreat into being a loyal opposition and to hold the government accountable. We need to give the new leaders space and support the new administration. The public service is apolitical and serves the government of the day. So I expect all focus to shift and stand ready to take instruction and subscribe to the dictates of the new administration. We are Botswana and we will continue and God is always with us” (Mokgweetsi Masisi, 01.11.2024).
Masisi became a one-term President, and he ended an era of the BDP. That is now gone. He should look into himself and what his party did in the final years. Ian Khama, the predecessor of Masisi has campaigned for the UDC and became an enemy of Masisi. Masisi should have been wiser and listened to the elders. Now he has fallen, and he has done so gracefully.
We now will see how the opposition will govern. That’s now up for grabs and we have to see if they will fair differently. As times goes by and power corrupts. You never really know how they will operate and adjust to their new offices. Hopefully for the betterment and do the service delivery that they have promised the electorate. That they would act with finesse and care. They would go after the De Beers and other companies for better agreements. Alas, that is where the scenarios now move.
Boko and his allies have to now step up and carry the weight of the office. They now got to takeover and find their way. There is a new day in Botswana and the UDC is the new government in the Republic. Peace.
MinBane 