Elections in Botswana

Botswana has a multiparty electoral system based on first-past-the-post voting: each voter casts one vote for a candidate in one constituency. The National Assembly has 61 directly elected members and six specially elected members. Local authority elections take place at the same time as National Assembly elections, with one council member elected in each polling district. General elections usually take place about every five years after the first sitting of a new Parliament, while a by-election fills a vacant seat between general elections. The Independent Electoral Commission, known as the IEC, administers National Assembly elections, local authority elections and referenda. Its Commission consists of a chair who is a High Court judge, a legal practitioner and five other impartial members appointed through the Judicial Service Commission. The IEC divides constituencies into polling districts and establishes polling stations. A Writ of Election covers National Assembly elections, while an Election Instrument covers local authority elections and sets the relevant places, dates and deadlines. A voter must be a Botswana citizen, at least 18 years old and hold a valid Omang. Registration takes place personally in the polling district where the voter lives. Constitutional eligibility also requires 12 months of continuous residence before the application, unless the applicant was born in Botswana and is domiciled there. A voter registers in one constituency only. Citizens living abroad can register and vote through designated embassies, high commissions, consulates and other approved locations. The IEC maintains a periodic voters’ roll. After general registration, it can conduct supplementary registration. The general roll is available for public inspection for 42 days and a supplementary roll for 21 days. Voters, parties and other eligible users can request corrections or object to an entry. An objection uses Form G and costs BWP 10 for each challenged name. An unfounded objection can result in loss of the deposit and compensation of up to BWP 500. A National Assembly candidate must be a Botswana citizen aged at least 18, hold an Omang and have a Voter Registration Card. The candidate must also be able to read and write English, submit Form O and obtain nine supporters: a proposer, a seconder and seven additional supporters. Candidates may represent a political party or stand as independents. The latest 2024 nomination information lists a deposit of BWP 1,000 for a National Assembly candidacy and BWP 200 for a local authority candidacy; older government and IEC pages list lower amounts and should not be treated as current. On polling day, voters cast two ballot papers, one for the National Assembly and one for the local authority. Ordinary polling runs from 06:30 to 19:00, with a possible extension of up to two hours. A voter normally uses the registered polling station and presents an Omang and Voter Registration Card. Advance polling takes place before the national poll for eligible voters abroad, polling staff and police officers. The Presiding Officer provides assistance to a voter with blindness or a physical disability, and ballot templates and Braille instructions are available. A voter can object to another voter at the polling station using Form Q; the challenged voter responds under oath on Form R. After voting, the Presiding Officer prepares a ballot-paper account with polling agents, seals the ballot box and transfers it to a district or constituency counting centre. Advance and ordinary ballots are mixed before counting. The Returning Officer announces the official result immediately after the count, and the IEC consolidates the results. The Chief Justice declares the President. Botswana does not use a direct presidential election: the party candidate who has the support of a majority of elected National Assembly members becomes President, which requires at least 31 of the 61 elected seats; if no candidate has that support, the National Assembly elects a President within 14 days. A voter or candidate can challenge an election result by filing an election petition directly with the High Court within 30 days after the result. The law provides for a decision within 90 days. The legal framework includes the Constitution, Electoral Act, Presidential Elections (Supplementary Provisions) Act, Local Government Act, Referendum Act and Electoral (Amendment) Act 2024. The Political Party Funding Act 13 of 2024 had not commenced in the latest researched status, so its planned donor-disclosure and donation-cap rules were not yet binding. At the 30 October 2024 general election, 1,038,275 voters were validly registered and 845,318 votes were cast, producing a turnout of 81.4%. Of the 61 elected seats, the UDC won 36, the BCP 15, the BPF 5, the BDP 4 and an independent candidate 1. With more than 31 elected seats, the UDC could form the government, and Duma Boko became President.