Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi conceded defeat following general elections Wednesday, ending nearly six decades of rule by the Botswana Democratic Party, or BPD. Partial results indicated that the main opposition party, Umbrella for Democratic Change, or UDC, was on track to win a majority of seats in Parliament, which elects Botswana’s president. (AP)
The BDP has governed Botswana since the country gained independence from the U.K. in 1966, in large part because it had gained a reputation for good governance. For many decades, Botswana was held up as a counterexample to the “resource curse,” with the country utilizing its massive diamond exports for consistently strong development, while maintaining its democratic credentials.
But there were already concerns about the strength of that reputation heading into this vote. A global decline in demand for diamonds has hit Botswana’s economy hard, and unemployment is on the rise, reaching nearly 28 percent overall and 38 percent among young people. That speaks to how resource-based development, even when relatively well-managed, can be a double-edged sword, leaving countries that depend on it at the mercy of the inevitable busts of the commodities cycle.
In addition to the economic slump, polls in Botswana have also shown declining satisfaction with democracy and growing concerns about corruption in the BDP, tarnishing the party’s reputation for good governance. Although there was little doubt that this vote would be free and fair, had the BDP won yet again, those governance concerns likely would have worsened. The BDP may also have reached the expiration date of its independence-era bona fides and legacy, with the younger generation of voters not demonstrating the same loyalty to the party as older generations have.
The election and the peaceful transfer of power that followed mark a bright spot for democracy on the continent. It’s worth noting, though, that many of these economic and generational trends are not specific to Botswana. In Botswana, voters demanding accountability were able to effectively express themselves through the ballot box. Elsewhere that expression comes in the form of popular protests, at times heeded, but often violently suppressed.
Both speak to the same grievances and aspirations. The contrasts in responsiveness to them highlights the problems plaguing governance across the continent, which though not exclusive to Africa and often portrayed through the lens of racist tropes are nonetheless real.
But it would also be a mistake to err on the opposite side of focusing only on the mechanical processes of democracy to assess governance in Africa. Because ultimately, whether in Botswana or elsewhere, elections can only be a bright spot for democracy if they deliver for the country’s people.