1969 Botswana general election

(Redirected from Botswana general election, 1969)

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18 October 1969

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31 of the 35 seats in the National Assembly
16 seats needed for a majority

Registered

140,428

	Majority party	Minority party

Leader	Seretse Khama	Bathoen Gaseitsiwe
Party	BDP	BNF
Leader's seat	Serowe North	Kanye South
Last election	80.38%, 28 seats	–
Seats won	24	3
Seat change	4	New
Popular vote	52,518	10,410
Percentage	68.33%	13.54%
Swing	12.05pp	New

	Third party	Fourth party

Leader	Philip Matante	Motsamai Mpho
Party	BPP	BIP
Leader's seat	Francistown/Tati East	Okavango
Last election	14.18%, 3 seats	4.61%, 0 seats
Seats won	3	1
Seat change		1
Popular vote	9,964	4,601
Percentage	12.14%	5.99%
Swing	2.04pp	1.38pp

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 18 October 1969, the first since independence in September 1966. The result was a second successive landslide victory for the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), who won 24 of the 31 elected seats, including three in which they were unopposed.

Campaign

A total of 77 candidates contested the elections. The BDP put up a full slate of 31 candidates, whilst the Botswana National Front had 21, the Botswana People's Party had 15, the Botswana Independence Party had nine, and there was also a single independent candidate.

The Botswana National Front was founded following the 1965 elections, and was headed by Kenneth Koma. However, Koma was overshadowed by Bathoen II, the paramount chief of the Bangwaketse. Bathoen abdicated his throne to become BNF president, and had also resigned from the Ntlo ya Dikgosi, which he regarded as powerless. He was the first traditional leader to run in an election.

Results


Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Botswana Democratic Party	52,518	68.33	24	–4
	Botswana National Front	10,410	13.54	3	New
	Botswana People's Party	9,329	12.14	3	0
	Botswana Independence Party	4,601	5.99	1	+1
Indirectly-elected members				4	0
Total		76,858	100.00	35	0

Registered voters/turnout		140,428	–
Source: Nohlen et al.

References

Dieter Nohlen, Michael Krennerich & Bernhard Thibaut (1999) Elections in Africa: A data handbook, p113 ISBN 0-19-829645-2
^ Botswana: The October 1969 General Election EISA

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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