In a stunning development, President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s Botswana Democratic Party has lost its parliamentary majority, marking the end of nearly three decades of dominance.

BDP has ruled Botswana since 1966, when the South African country gained independence from Britain.

Preliminary election results collated as of Friday morning show opposition parties had garnered over 35 of 61 seats in the parliamentary election, ending the ruling party’s 58-year rule in the diamond-rich country.

According to results collated and announced as of Friday morning, Umbrella for Democratic Change, led by Duma Boko, a Harvard-trained human rights lawyer, won 22 seats.

Dumelang Saleshando-led Botswana Congress Party and Botswana Patriotic Front led by Ian Khama won eight and five seats, respectively, while Mr Masisi-led ruling BDP won just one seat.

With this development, BDP lost power under Botswana’s constitution, which states that the party with majority parliamentary seats produces the president and forms a government.

“As of 05.04 a.m., 1st November 2024, opposition parties have garnered more than half of the parliamentary seats,” A Botswanan newspaper, Mmegi, reported on its Facebook page, adding that the BDP “has now officially lost state power”.

Incumbent president, Mr Masisi, 63, a former UNICEF worker, conceded defeat in a press conference on Friday, promising to “support” the president-elect.

“Although I wanted to stay on as your president,” Mr Masisi said. “I respect the will of the people, and I congratulate the president-elect. I will step aside, and I will support the new administration.”

The end of BDP’s 58-year rule follows similar political development in South Africa, where its ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), in June failed to win majority seats in the national election for the first time in 30 years.

This shift signals a change in the political landscape in the South African region as citizens yearn for improved governance.