General elections were held in Botswana on October 24,2014 to elect 63 members of the National Assembly who were divided between 57 MPs elected in single-member constituencies by first past the post , four members elected by the 57 MPs, and two ex-officio members (the President and the Attorney General)
Botswana is seen as one of Africa's most stable and democratic countries.
Candidates had to be Botswana citizens least 21 years old, without an undischarged bankruptcy, and had to be able to speak and read English sufficiently well to take part in parliamentary proceedings
Political Parties and Candidates
In November 2013 three opposition parties, the Botswana National Front, the Botswana People's Party and the Botswana Movement for Democratic Change formed the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) alliance.
A total of 192 candidates contested the elections.
The Botswana Democratic Party was the only party to contest all 57 seats
The Botswana Congress Party had 54 candidates and the Umbrella for Democratic Change put forward 52, whilst there were also 29 independents
President Khama voted at a polling station in his home town of Serowe north of the capital, Gaborone
Botswana is seen as one of Africa's most stable and democratic countries.
President Ian Khama's Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which has governed since independence in 1966, is expected to win a reduced majority.
But it has been battling to gain support in urban areas where opposition parties have made recent inroads.
The three parties(BDP,UDC and BCP)competing to win over the 824,000 registered voters who will elect 57 members of parliament.
The MPs then choose the leader, with President Khama, the son of the country's first president, likely to get a second term in office
Voters had to be Botswana citizens at least 18 years old who had been resident in the country for at least 12 months prior to voter registration. People declared insane, holding dual citizenship, under a death sentence, convicted of an electoral offence or imprisoned for at least six months were not allowed to vote.Candidates had to be Botswana citizens least 21 years old, without an undischarged bankruptcy, and had to be able to speak and read English sufficiently well to take part in parliamentary proceedings
Political Parties and Candidates
In November 2013 three opposition parties, the Botswana National Front, the Botswana People's Party and the Botswana Movement for Democratic Change formed the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) alliance.
A total of 192 candidates contested the elections.
The Botswana Democratic Party was the only party to contest all 57 seats
The Botswana Congress Party had 54 candidates and the Umbrella for Democratic Change put forward 52, whilst there were also 29 independents
President Khama voted at a polling station in his home town of Serowe north of the capital, Gaborone
Botswana ruling party wins
Botswana's ruling party has won majority seats in the country's parliament, putting President Ian Khama at the helm for a second five-year term.
High Court Chief Justice Maruping Dibotelo said in a statement on Sunday that Khama "has been re-elected as the President of the Republic after his political party, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) garnered at least 29 of the 57 parliamentary seats" at Friday's general election.
But the opposition coaltion managed to reduce the majority of Khama's party, which has ruled the diamond-producing nation since independence from Britain 48 years ago.
Parliament elects the president, and it is expected that Khama will win a second term, but with a reduced majority. In the previous elections in 2009, BDP won 79 percent of the seats.
The landlocked, diamond-rich southern African country of two million people is seen as one of the continent's strongest democracies, and Friday's vote saw a high turnout of the 800,000 registered voters
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