1979 Botswana general election

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20 October 1979

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32 of the 36 seats in the National Assembly
17 seats needed for a majority

Registered

230,231

	Majority party	Minority party	Third party

Leader	Seretse Khama	Kenneth Koma	Philip Matante
Party	BDP	BNF	BPP
Leader's seat	None	Gaborone (defeated)	Francistown (defeated)
Last election	76.62%, 27 seats	11.49%, 2 seats	6.56%, 2 seats
Seats won	29	2	1
Seat change	2		1
Popular vote	101,098	17,480	9,983
Percentage	75.17%	13.00%	7.42%
Swing	1.45pp	1.51pp	0.86pp

Results by constituency

President before election

Seretse Khama
BDP

Elected President

Seretse Khama
BDP

Politics of Botswana


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v t e

General elections were held in Botswana on 20 October 1979. The result was a fourth successive landslide victory for the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which won 29 of the 32 elected seats, including two in which they were unopposed.

As of the 2019 general elections, this is the last election where the BDP received more than 70% of the popular vote.

Campaign

A total of 69 candidates contested the election. The BDP was the only party to run a full slate of 32 candidates, with the Botswana National Front putting forward 16 candidates, the Botswana People's Party 14 and the Botswana Independence Party five. There were also two independents. The BDP campaigned on opposition to apartheid in South Africa and a call for economic sanctions against Zimbabwe-Rhodesia.

Prior to the elections, the voter roll was completely revamped. The revision was accompanied by a vigorous radio and press campaign by the government to encourage registration. Although the number of registered voters increased by only 6,635 compared to the 1974 elections, this was deemed to be due to the 1974 voter roll having numerous duplications.

Results


Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Botswana Democratic Party	101,098	75.17	29	+2
	Botswana National Front	17,480	13.00	2	0
	Botswana People's Party	9,983	7.42	1	–1
	Botswana Independence Party	5,657	4.21	0	–1
	Independents	278	0.21	0	0
Indirectly-elected members				4	–
Total		134,496	100.00	36	0

Registered voters/turnout		230,231	–
Source: EISA, Nohlen et al.

Notes

Incumbent presidents are ineligible to contest National Assembly seats; instead, they serve as ex-officio members of Parliament.

References

Dieter Nohlen, Michael Krennerich & Bernhard Thibaut (1999) Elections in Africa: A data handbook, p113 ISBN 0-19-829645-2
^ Botswana: The October 1979 General Election EISA
Botswana Inter-Parliamentary Union

v t e Elections and referendums in Botswana
General elections	1921 1924 1927 1930 1933 1936 1939 1942 1945 1948 1951 1954 1957 1961 1965 1969 1974 1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019 2024
Local elections	1966 1969 1974 1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019
Referendums	1987 1997 2001

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