{"id":60321,"date":"2024-12-07T18:15:51","date_gmt":"2024-12-07T18:15:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/masisi-refuses-to-step-down"},"modified":"2024-12-07T18:33:02","modified_gmt":"2024-12-07T18:33:02","slug":"masisi-refuses-to-step-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/masisi-refuses-to-step-down","title":{"rendered":"Masisi Refuses to Step down"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Botswana. <\/strong><\/span><b>In the wake of the Botswana Democratic Party\u2019s (BDP) historic electoral defeat, former President Mokgweetsi Masisi has resisted mounting calls from within his party to step down as leader.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>When addressing members of the media on Wednesday, Masisi stated that resigning immediately would be \u201cirresponsible,\u201d adding that he intends to serve as leader until next year July when the party selects his successor during the National Congress.<\/p>\n<p>The defeat marked a seismic shift in Botswana\u2019s political landscape, as the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), led by Advocate Duma Boko, ended the BDP\u2019s unbroken rule since independence in 1966.<\/p>\n<p>The BDP managed to secure only four parliamentary seats, its worst performance in history.<\/p>\n<p>The loss has fueled widespread criticism of Masisi\u2019s leadership. Party insiders accuse him of failing to unify the BDP and of alienating key constituencies during his tenure.<\/p>\n<p>Masisi, however, remains defiant. \u201cI acknowledge the pain of our loss,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut stepping down now would create further instability at a time when the party needs to regroup and plan its future. Few irresponsible people are the ones calling for my resignation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Masisi also announced that he would not seek re-election to any party position, signaling his readiness to make way for a new generation of leaders.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy wish is for someone young, fresh, and vibrant to take over,\u201d he declared. \u201cThe party needs energy and innovative ideas. We cannot afford to recycle leadership or return to old faces.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This announcement has sparked debate within the party.<\/p>\n<p>Some members see Masisi\u2019s decision to stay until the special congress as a delaying tactic, while others believe it provides the party with the stability needed to recover from the electoral defeat.<\/p>\n<p>Political analysts suggest the BDP faces an uphill battle to rebuild its image and reclaim its dominant position in Botswana\u2019s political arena.<\/p>\n<p>The special congress, expected to be held in the coming months, will be a pivotal moment for the party as it seeks to chart a new course and regain public trust.<\/p>\n<p>This publication has seen lobby lists of those who are likely to be considered to take over.<\/p>\n<p>Masisi refuses to step down<\/p>\n<p>SOME OF THOSE CONSIDERED TO TAKE OVER: Ntuane, Balopi, Ndebele, Molefhi &amp; Magang<\/p>\n<p>Lobbylist No1<br \/>\nPresident: Botsalo Ntuane<br \/>\nChairman: Thapelo Matsheka<br \/>\nSecretary General: Lesang Magang<br \/>\nTreasurer: Robert Masitara, Tebelelo Seretse<br \/>\nDeputy Secretary General: Thapelo Letsholo<br \/>\nDeputy Treasurer: Tebelelo Seretse, Robert Masitara<br \/>\nLobbylist No2<br \/>\nPresident: Thapelo Matseka<br \/>\nVice President: Mpho Balopi<br \/>\nChairperson: Nonofo Molefhi<br \/>\nSecretary General: Dorcus Makgatho<br \/>\nDeputy Secretary General: Banks Kentse<br \/>\nAdd member: Reverend Kaisara Thapelo Sejoe, Kagiso Kwelagobe, Goitseone phori<br \/>\nExecutive Secretary: Ame Makoba<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Botswana<\/span> Follow <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Botswana. In the wake of the Botswana Democratic Party\u2019s (BDP) historic electoral defeat, former President Mokgweetsi Masisi has resisted mounting calls from within his party to step down as leader. When addressing members of the media on Wednesday, Masisi stated that resigning immediately would be \u201cirresponsible,\u201d adding that he intends to serve as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":60320,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,7,10,244],"tags":[234],"class_list":["post-60321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-head-lines","category-parties","category-to-homepage","tag-botswana"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Masisi Refuses to Step down - Botswana<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In the wake of the Botswana Democratic Party\u2019s (BDP) historic electoral defeat, former President Mokgweetsi Masisi ha ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/masisi-refuses-to-step-down\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Masisi Refuses to Step down\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the wake of the Botswana Democratic Party\u2019s (BDP) historic electoral defeat, former President Mokgweetsi Masisi ha ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/masisi-refuses-to-step-down\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Botswana\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-12-07T18:15:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-12-07T18:33:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2024\/12\/sm_1733583680.810177.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/masisi-refuses-to-step-down#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/masisi-refuses-to-step-down\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Masisi Refuses to Step down\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-07T18:15:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-12-07T18:33:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/masisi-refuses-to-step-down\"},\"wordCount\":453,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/masisi-refuses-to-step-down#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2024\/12\/sm_1733583680.810177.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Botswana\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"head lines\",\"parties\",\"to-homepage\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/masisi-refuses-to-step-down#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/masisi-refuses-to-step-down\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/masisi-refuses-to-step-down\",\"name\":\"Masisi Refuses to Step down - 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