- Party vows to rebuild after historic defeat
LETLHOGILE MPUANG
After losing elections for the first time in 58 years, the once mighty Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) is left grappling with questions of how to regain its former strength.
The loss is nothing short of dismal, managing a measly four seats out of 61.
“It is a very heavy loss”
The Secretary General (SG) of the party, Kavis Kario, acknowledged as much in a telephone interview yesterday (Tuesday). “This is the first time in our history we’ve lost state power, and it is a very heavy loss,” he said. “We were hopeful and believed we were ready.”
Kario emphasised that the party does not see the loss as a rejection of its ideas. “We don’t think we lost because Batswana didn’t want the BDP,” he said. “It was more that they preferred what the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) was offering.”
Despite the setback, he highlighted the BDP’s second-place finish of 32% support in the popular vote. “This shows that there are still people who believe in this party,” he noted. “Now is the time to introspect and evolve our ideas. We firmly believe that the BDP will come back stronger in 2029.”
Optimistic
Kario remains optimistic about the party’s future. “The BDP has men and women who are capable of leading it forward for many years to come,” he asserted.
“We are now a minority but we commit that we will contribute our ideas in building this country.”