Botswana President, Concedes Election Defeat, BDP Loses Power after 58 Years
President Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botwana said on Friday that he would “step aside” after his party suffered a resounding defeat in the general elections, according to preliminary tallies.
“I wish to congratulate the opposition on their victory and concede the election,” Masisi said during a press conference.
“The evidence is overwhelming. We lost the election massively,” Masisi said in his concession speech.
President Masisi posted on X offering his “heartfelt congratulations” to Duma Boko, leader of the opposition coalition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), referring to him as the president-elect.
Boko, a human rights lawyer, spent five years between 2014 and 2019 as the country’s leader of opposition. The UDC accused the ruling party of corruption and economic mismanagement in the run up to this month’s election.
The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) had been in power for 58 years.
