Okavango (Botswana constituency)
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| Okavango | |
|---|---|
| Former Single-member constituency for the National Assembly | |
.svg) Boundary of Okavango in Botswana | |
| District | North-West District |
| Population | 44,690[1] |
| Area | 32,095 km2 |
| Former constituency | |
| Created | 1965 |
| Abolished | 2024 |
| Replaced by | Okavango East Okavango West |
Okavango was a constituency in the North-West District. Following the completion of the 2022 Delimitation of Parliamentary constituencies, the existing seat was abolished and replaced by two new constituencies, Okavango East and Okavango West, first contested at the 2024 general election.[2]
The Okavango constituency was located in the north of North-West District and existed with the majority of its boundaries intact from the first inaugural elections in 1965 until 2024, making it one of the longest-running constituencies in Botswana's electoral history.
Throughout its existence, Okavango has generally remained an opposition stronghold and the region that has voted the least for the BDP since Botswana's independence (the party only won the constituency in 1965, 1979 and 2004). Between 1969 and 1979 it was represented by the BIP, between 1984 and 1999 by the BNF and from 1999 to 2024 it voted mostly for BCP candidates. In 2022, the delimitation commission recommended the division of Okavango into two constituencies, abolishing the constituency.
The constituency, predominantly rural, encompassed the following villages:[3]