BMD is watching the AP-BCP Courtship with keen Interest – Modubule

New BMD president says the outcome of ongoing negotiations will determine whether the party will join or not

SESUPO RANTSIMAKO

The Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) is closely monitoring the unfolding courtship for a coalition between the Alliance for Progressives (AP) and the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) with keen interest to join if the BMD finds the model agreeable, The Botswana Gazette has established.

The newly-elected BMD president Nehemiah Modubule has told The Botswana Gazette that they still believe in the coalition of opposition parties as the only means of toppling the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) government from power.

Determining factor
However, he added, the determining factor will be the modality of the coalition and the constitution adopted. Modubule said although the BMD is currently undecided about which coalition to work with, they have resolved to monitor the AP-BCP courtship with the possibility of joining it.

“It is worth noting that we currently have two opposition coalitions, the Umbrella for Democratic Change and the unfolding AP/BCP courtship,” he noted.

“Since we already know and understand how the UDC coalition operates, we have agreed to monitor the ongoing AP-BCP negotiations in order to compare them. This will be in view of the modality and constitution of the ongoing AP-BCP cooperation.”

Modubule was speaking in an interview after the BMD elective congress that was held in Mahalapye where he became president of the party over the weekend.

Formerly the Chairman of the BMD, he said although they are keen on opposition cooperation ahead of 2024 general elections, they will not join any coalition because of pressure.

BMD revival
“We still have a mandate of reviving our party within eight months by making it appealing like before, and this is our priority,” Modubule said.

“We have a lot of BMD members who gave up on the party but after the just-ended congress they have been calling us to enquire about the new developments in the party.”
The BMD was a founding partner of UDC before it was expelled ahead of 2019 general elections over differences between leaders of both entities.

Reached for comment, BCP spokesperson Dr Mpho Pheko said any political party interested in the BCP-AP coalition should put it in writing so that it may be invited to a pre-determination process.