Voters in Botswana have thrown out the country’s long-ruling party in a political earthquake in the diamond-rich southern African country.
The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) – which has been in power since independence in 1966 – had won just one parliamentary seat as of Friday morning, according to preliminary election results.
The Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), led by human rights lawyer, Duma Boko, won 20 seats, according to preliminary figures.
The UDC looks set to form a government as it is expected to win 31 seats in order to have a majority in parliament.
As members of Parliament elect the president in Botswana, Duma Boko is in a position to become the head of state when the parliament convenes for the first time.
Boko, who is running for the third time, has appealed to his supporters to “always be vigilant and behave well”.
Despite the remarkable turnaround in Botswana, recent poor economic growth and unemployment have made the BDP popular.
He will replace Mokgweetsi Masisi – who has been in office since 2018 – who led the unsuccessful BDP campaign.
The president ran on the message that his party could bring about “reform”, but not enough voters were convinced that the BDP could do what was needed in the country.
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