At stake in this election:     

• The 57 seats (of 63 seats) in Botswana’s National Assembly

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Seretse Khama Ian KHAMA (since 1 April 2008)*
• Head of Government: President Seretse Khama Ian KHAMA (since 1 April 2008)
• Assembly: Botswana has a unicameral Parliament consisting of the National Assembly with 63 seats. **

* The president is both the chief of state and head of government.

** The House of Chiefs (Ntlo ya Dikgosi) has 35 seats and is a legislative advisory body, not a house of parliament.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by indirect vote to serve a 5-year term.*
• In the House of Chiefs (Ntlo ya Dikgosi), a advisory 35-member body, 8 members are ex-officio members consisting of the chiefs of the principal tribes, and 27 non-permanent members, serve 5-year terms, of which 22 are indirectly elected. The 5 remaining members are appointed by the President.
• In the National Assembly, which has 63 seats, 57 members are directly elected by popular vote, 4 members are appointed by the majority party, and 2 members, the President and Attorney General, serve as ex-officio members to serve 5-year terms.

* Generally, it is the person nominated by the party who has the majority in parliament.

Election Note:

• On Friday 24 October 2014, Botswana will hold elections for the National Assembly.[i] The country has held ten “successful democratic elections” since independence in 1966, “more than any other nation in mainland sub-Saharan Africa.”[ii]

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Botswana Democratic Party (BDP)
  • Leader: Seretse Khama Ian KHAMA
  • Seats won in the last election: 45
• Party: Botswana National Front (BNF)*
  • Leader: Duma BOKO
  • Seats won in the last election: 6
• Party: Botswana Congress Party (BCP)
  • Leader: Dumelang SALESHANDO
  • Seats won in the last election: 4
• Party: Botswana Alliance Movement (BAM)
  • Leader: Ephraim SETSHWAELO
  • Seats won in the last election: 1
• Party: Botswana People’s Party (BPP)*
  • Leader: Motlatsi MOLAPISI
  • Seats won in the last election: 0
• Party: Botswana Movement for Democracy*
  • Leader: Ndaba GAOLATLHE **
  • Seats won in the last election: 0

*These parties are part of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), but are running on their own party ticket. Duma BOKO is the UDC presidential candidate.

** Former leader Gomolemo MOTSWALEDI was killed in a car crash in July 2014.

Last election:

• The last election to the National Assembly in Botswana was held on 16 October 2009.[iii] Turnout was 76.71 percent and 555,078 of 723,617 people cast ballots.[iv] The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) won 45 seats or 53.26 percent of the vote, beating the Botswana National Front (BNF), who won 6 seats or 21.94 percent.[v] Results can be found here. The BDP has been in power since independence in 1966.[vi]

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 2,155,784 (July 2014 est)[vii]
• Registered Voters: Over 1,000,000 (Sept 2014)[viii]

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 1,110,787 (2014)

·         Is Botswana a signatory to CEDAW: N/A

·         Has Botswana ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (13 August 1996)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 6 (following 2014 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 106 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is Botswana a signatory to CRPD: No

·         Has Botswana ratified CRPD: No

·         Population with a disability: 323,367 (est.)