Africa-Press – Botswana. The smooth transfer of power from the former president, Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi and the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), to the newly sworn-in President, Mr Duma Boko and the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), which led to Botswana gaining traction internationally, was a necessary step for democratic consolidation.
Speaking in an interview with DW News Agency Africa from the State House, Gaborone on Wednesday night, Dr Masisi said conceding electoral defeat, ensuring smooth transition of power from a party in government and the opposition, was part of the basis for a solid democracy.
Dr Masisi said: “The minute you submit yourself to an electoral process, and you profess to be a believer in democracy, you should know that you have to accept the results if they go either way. If you are a president, you have the onerous responsibility to ensure that nobody, no country, becomes engulfed in conflict because of a selfish decision to cling to power. Rather, deepen democracy by accepting the will of the majority.”
He said this milestone would further entrench the democratic culture in Botswana and be a positive example to the broader African continent.
Dr Masisi said he had entered the elections confident of being returned to power for a second term in office, as he thought his government had been on the right path to restructure Botswana’s economy.
“After working to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and to restructure the economy in areas such as mining, horticulture production, tourism and the availing of land, we came up with a realistic, achievable manifesto to carry the nation forward. So the loss was a massive surprise to us, but we accept the defeat and will introspect, and rebuild,” he said.
Dr Masisi said while they had not yet made a comprehensive analysis of their electoral loss, their initial view was that their two main opponents, the UDC, now in government, and the Botswana Congress Party (BCP), now the official opposition came up with manifestoes that spoke to young people, who form the majority of voters.
“The UDC and BCP had similar manifestoes, which promised many jobs and elevated wages, which because of the demographic dividend worked.
The majority of the population is young and were frustrated with unemployment. From our side, we wanted to address such challenges through careful planning, we wanted to make promises we believe are sustainable in the long term,” he said.
Dr Masisi said he wished the incoming President and government well, and would become an elder statesman willing to serve the nation, region and the multilateral world in any capacity as and when required.
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