1999 Botswana general election

{{Infobox election

| country = Botswana

| type = Legislative

| previous_election = 1994 Botswana general election

| previous_year = 1994

| outgoing_members = 7th Parliament of Botswana

| election_date = 16 October 1999

| next_election = 2004 Botswana general election

| next_year = 2004

| elected_members = 8th Parliament of Botswana

| seats_for_election = 40 of the 44 seats in the National Assembly

| majority_seats = 21

| registered = 459,663

| turnout = 77.11% (of registered voters) ({{increase}}0.56pp)
41.98% (of eligible population) ({{decrease}}2.65pp){{refn|group=n|{{Cite book |url=https://www.iec.gov.bw/images/Voter_Apathy_PRINT.pdf |title=National Study On Voter Apathy in Botswana |publisher=IEC Botswana |others=University of Botswana |year=2022 |pages=17 |language=en-GB}}}}

| image_size = 130x130px

| image1 = Festus Mogae 2009-06-23.jpg

| leader1 = Festus Mogae

| party1 = Botswana Democratic Party

| last_election1 = 27 seats

| seats1 = 33

| leaders_seat1 = None{{efn|Incumbent presidents are ineligible to contest National Assembly seats; instead, they serve as ex-officio members of Parliament.}}

| seat_change1 = {{increase}} 6

| popular_vote1 = 192,598

| percentage1 = 57.14%

| swing1 = {{increase}} 2.55pp

| image2 = Kenneth Koma.jpg

| leader2 = Kenneth Koma

| party2 = Botswana National Front

| last_election2 = 13 seats

| leaders_seat2 = Gaborone South

| seats2 = 6

| seat_change2 = {{decrease}} 7

| popular_vote2 = 87,457

| percentage2 = 25.95%

| swing2 = {{decrease}} 11.14pp

| image3 =

BCP

| leader3 = Michael Dingake

| party3 = Botswana Congress Party

| leaders_seat3 = Gaborone Central (defeated)

| last_election3 = 0 seats

| seats3 = 1

| seat_change3 = {{increase}} 1

| popular_vote3 = 40,096

| percentage3 = 11.90%

| swing3 = New

| map_image = 1999 Botswana National Assembly election - Results by constituency.svg

| map_caption = Results by constituency

| map_size = 400px

| title = President

| before_election = Festus Mogae

| before_party = Botswana Democratic Party

| after_election = Festus Mogae

| after_party = Botswana Democratic Party

}}{{Politics of Botswana}}

General elections were held in Botswana on 16 October 1999, alongside local elections. The result was an eighth straight victory for the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which increased its majority to 33 of the 40 elected seats in the National Assembly.

Background

A referendum on electoral reform in 1997 had led to the creation of a new Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), the lowering of the voting age from 21 to 18, and allowing overseas citizens to vote.[http://africanelections.tripod.com/bw_2.html#1997_Referendum Elections in Botswana] African Elections Database

Prior to the elections, the National Assembly was dissolved in late July 1999.[http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=8256 BOTSWANA: Parliament dissolved ahead of elections] IRIN, 26 July 1999 Because fewer than half of the roughly 800,000 eligible voters had registered, it was decided in late July to introduce supplementary voter registration.[http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=8891 BOTSWANA: State of emergency defended] IRIN, 6 September 1999 On 27 August it was reported that President Festus Mogae had set the election date for 16 October.[http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=8751 BOTSWANA: Election date set for 16 October] IRIN, 27 August 1999 However, announcing the date invalidated the supplementary voter registration because the names of the recently registered voters had not yet been published for inspection.[http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=8930 BOTSWANA: State of emergency to be lifted] IRIN, 7 September 2008 As a result, Mogae declared a state of emergency so that the National Assembly could meet again to amend legislation in order to allow the addition of about 60,000 people to the voters roll; this was the first time a state of emergency had been declared since Botswana became independent. A spokesman for the Botswana Electoral Commission described the situation as "very normal" and said that the election date would not be changed. The opposition Botswana Alliance Movement (BAM) and Botswana Congress Party (BCP) were critical, however, with the former's Lepetu Setshwaelo describing it as "the biggest scandal since our independence" and calling the government "totally incompetent". The BCP said that the state of emergency was unnecessary.

Campaign

The main opposition party, the Botswana National Front (BNF) split in mid-1998 after party leader Kenneth Koma was suspended by the party's central committee, and then had the suspension overturned by a court ruling. After Koma returned to the party leadership, he formed a caretaker committee to remove the members who had opposed him. The excluded members subsequently left to form the BCP, which included 11 of the BNF's 13 MPs and most of its local councillors.[https://www.eisa.org.za/wep/bot1999election.htm Botswana: The October 1999 General Election] EISA As a result, BCP leader Michael Dingake replaced Koma as Leader of the Opposition.

Following talks that began in late 1998, the BNF, the United Action Party and five other opposition parties agreed to form the BAM in January 1999. However, the BNF had left the alliance by the end of April 1999 after the other parties refused to allow the BNF to determine the Alliance's candidates in every constituency.

The election campaign was low-key, and focussed on poverty, unemployment, wealth distribution and the country's AIDS epidemic. The BDP campaigned on a promise of prudent financial management, industrial diversification and efforts to combat the AIDS problem. The BNF criticised the government's economic policy, claiming it was too focussed on urban areas. The BCP claimed the government was too complacent, having been in power since the mid-1960s.[http://www.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/arc/2041_99.htm Elections held in 1999] IPU