Botswana President Mokgwetsi Masisi conceded defeat after his party lost its parliamentary majority in elections this week, ending nearly 60 years in power.
CNN writes about it.
According to the voting results, the opposition coalition "Umbrella for Democratic Change" won a significant advantage, which allowed its leader, lawyer Duma Boko, to win the presidency.
Previously, "Umbrella for Democratic Changes" won 25 out of 61 seats in the parliament. To get a majority, you need 31. The Botswana Congress Party has seven seats, the "Botswana Patriotic Front" has five seats, and the ruling Democratic Party of Botswana has only three, writes the Associated Press.
Analysts note that growing socio-economic discontent, especially among young people, has led to the fall of Botswanaʼs ruling Democratic Party, which has ruled the country since independence from Great Britain in 1966.
Botswana is considered one of Africaʼs most stable democracies and is seen as a post-colonial success story that has built one of the highest living standards in the region thanks to an economy heavily reliant on diamonds. Botswana is the second largest producer of natural diamonds in the world after Russia and has produced all of the largest diamonds in the last decade.
But Botswana faces new challenges, and the mood for change has become evident as the slump in global demand for diamonds has hit the economy, becoming a central issue in the campaign.
Unemployment has soared to over 27% this year, with it much higher among young people due to the decline in diamond mining. Masisi and his party have been criticized for not doing enough to diversify the economy, and the country has been forced into recent austerity measures.
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