Abbreviation BDP Chairman Mokgweetsi Masisi Political position Centre-right | Leader Ian Khama Ideology Conservatism | |
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Headquarters Gaborone, South-East District | ||
The Botswana Democratic Party (abbreviated BDP) is the governing party in Botswana. Its chairman is the current Vice President of the Republic of Botswana, Mokgweetsi Masisi. The previous party chairs include, among others, Ponatshego Kedikilwe, Daniel Kwelagobe, Samson Guma Moyo, and Lieutenant General Ian Khama.
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The BDP was shaped by Sir Seretse Khama, who is celebrated for nurturing the success of Botswana. Traditional Setswana communities make up the party's base. BDP was sometimes referred to as "the Chief's party," referring to Sir Seretse Khama, the first President of Botswana.
In the 2014 Parliamentary elections, the BDP took 37 seats, giving it continued control of the chamber.
History
In 1961, Seretse Khama founded the party. Before independence was achieved in 1966, BDP was known as the Bechuanaland Democratic Party. On 30 September 1966, Khama's vision of independence became true. In the first general elections in 1965, BDP candidates won 28 of 31 seats. Khama became the president of Botswana.
Festus Mogae served as the country's president between 1998 and 2008. He was awarded the Grand Cross of the Légion d'honneur by French President Nicolas Sarkozy on 20 March 2008 for his "exemplary leadership" in making Botswana a "model" of democracy and good governance. Mogae won the 2008 Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership.
Ian Khama, the son of former president Sir Seretse Khama, joined to the party ahead of the 1999 general elections. Currently the party is ridden by factions and observers predict that unless discipline is instilled, the party will split. One faction (calling itself Barata-Phathi) is led by Ponatshego Kedikilwe, and former Secretary General Daniel Kwelagobe, while the dominant faction (calling itself The A Team) is led by cabinet ministers Jacob Nkate and Mompati Merafhe. The A Team was formerly led by President Festus Mogae and his Vice-President Ian Khama. Both of them have since pulled out from leading factions even though they are still members of 'The A Team'.
On the first of April 2008, Ian Khama ascended to the presidency as the fourth President of the Republic of Botswana, as a result relinquishing his chairmanship of the Botswana Democratic Party. The vacant post was then undertaken by party stalwart and veteran Daniel Kwelagobe. In his inauguration address, Ian Khama outlined the National Vision 2016.
In May 2010, the BDP split, with the Botswana Movement for Democracy formed, led by Botsalo Ntuane and the other Parliament ministers who opposed President Khama's political decisions.
The 2014 election resulted in the BDP taking 37 Parliamentary seats, a decreased margin from the previous election in 2009, but still a majority in the 63-seat chamber. As a result, President Khama retained his position as president for a second five-year term.