Africa-Press – Botswana. Main opposition party, Botswana Congress Party (BCP), has clarified that it isn’t considering a coalition with minority party in Parliament, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).
In a statement, BCP spokesperson Mpho Pheko revealed there have not been any talks to enter coalition with the former ruling party.
“We would like to categorically state that the BCP leadership has no mandate to enter into any relationship with BDP, no discussions of that nature have been entered into, and none have been, or are considered,” she said.
Both the BCP and BDP lost last year’s General Election to a tri-party coalition, Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC). “The BCP and BDP are poles apart in ideological dispositions and have no common economic development framework,” added Pheko as she responded to suggestions that the BCP could seek a partnership with the former ruling party.
She said reports linking the BCP to the BDP are “untruthful, rascally, and malicious”.
“We categorise them as works of agents of disinformation and deceit, intended to malign and discredit the BCP, cause confusion, and divert attention from failures to deliver on election promises,” the spokesperson highlighted.
Pheko said in line with the mandate granted to the party by the electorate in 2024, the BCP remains laser-focused on holding the government of the day accountable.
She said the BCP is also reinvigorating its structures to ready the party for the 2029 General Election.
The BCP’s links to the BCP comes at a time when the BDP is gearing up for its congress next month.
The BDP, which ruled for 58 years before its reign ended last October, is looking to resurrect.
Some analysts have suggested that the only alternative for the red machine is to seek a coalition with other parties.
BCP on the other side believes that now that the voter has tasted blood, its chance might come in the next elections in 2029. Whilst the BDP has never experienced the coalition setup, the BCP has being a former member of the UDC.
The Dumelang Saleshando-led party left the coalition a few years before the seismic shift experienced in the 2024 General Election after contesting the 2019 election under the UDC banner.
Whilst the saying “never say never” applies in politics it will be interesting to see if the 2029 General Election would be a battle of coalitions should the BCP change its mind about joining forces with the BDP.
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