The recent by-election victory by the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) can only serve as another demonstration of Batswana’s changed attitude towards the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).
The BDP has won just 23 percent of the by-elections held across the country after the 2019 General Elections.
Of the 13 council by-elections held so far, 12 had been under the ruling BDP.
Now the party has only managed to retain three seats, with the coalition UDC the biggest winners with eight, Alliance for Progressives (AP) one seat, and the Botswana Patriot Front (BPF) another.
The Bophirima Ward by-election was especially telling,not least because of an extremely divided opposition. Even the presence of President Mokgweetsi Masisi and First Lady Neo Masisi could do nothing to sway votes the BDP way.
Not so long ago the BDP would have rubbed their hands in glee over a divided opposition. But what transpired at the weekend should be a call for introspection.
The chairman of the BDP’s Communications and International Relations committee Kagelelo Kentse could not have put it better.
“As most have said, it’s time to reflect and reflect honestly. There must be an underlying factor to all these results, whether internal to the BDP or premised on national issues,” Kentse wrote on social media following their loss.
His next line however demonstrated defiance. “I do however doubt that these define how 2024 will be. By-elections and General Elections are usually a completely different animal.”
Political analyst Leornard Sesa has said the BDP should be concerned by the series of losses they have been experiencing. He believes the party needs to evaluate their performance to get to the bottom of why Batswana are not voting for them.
He said considering the caliber of the individuals who campaigned for the BDP in Bophirima Ward which included President Masisi himself, First Lady Neo Masisi, and Vice President Slumber Tsogwane, the party should be seriously concerned that even, they, failed to convince the voter.
“One would have expected that this time they would have won but unfortunately they lost. Even if you play with the numbers it will show you that had BCP not split from UDC it would have been worse.” Sesa says.
He says the ruling party should go back to the drawing board and evaluate their performance and hear what Batswana have to say. He says the fact that the BDP was contesting against a divided opposition should have been a free ride for them.
The political analyst said the BDP needs to do an audit performance and they must be able to correct themselves because if they don’t they will continue getting the same results.
For his part, Professor Zibani Maundeni however holds a totally different view, saying the series of by-election losses “means nothing”. The Professor also seems to contradict himself, saying it is “very normal” for a ruling party to lose by-elections adding that “they have won a general election against a unified opposition and therefore losing a by-election to a divided opposition doesn’t mean anything.”
