Botswana: Understanding the Electoral Revolt Against the Mighty Botswana Democratic Party

Virtually everyone one we spoke with or article we read cited issues of corruption and dissatisfaction with the management of the economy as the key reasons for the defeat of the BDP.

The question we kept asking was: Why did a party with a historically stellar record in economic, social and infrastructural development and a near monopoly of power for 58 years lose so dramatically? In other words, why did the people turn against the party that gave them independence and lifted the country from a…