Parliament of Botswana
Legislative body in Botswana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Parliament of Botswana (Tswana: Palamente ya Botswana) consists of the President and the National Assembly.[2] In contrast to other parliamentary systems, the Parliament elects the President directly (instead of having both a ceremonial President and a Prime Minister who has real authority as head of government) for a set five-year term of office. A president can only serve 2 full terms. The President is both head of state and of government in Botswana's parliamentary republican system. The Parliament of Botswana is the supreme legislative authority.[3] In October 2024, the 2024 general election was held which saw the ousting of the Botswana Democratic Party from power after 59 years of government, propelling the opposition centre-left Umbrella for Democratic Change to a majority of 36 seats in the 69 seat National Assembly.
Parliament of Botswana Palamente ya Botswana | |
|---|---|
| 13th Parliament | |
| |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Houses | National Assembly |
| History | |
| Founded | 1966 |
| Leadership | |
Dithapelo Keorapetse since 7 November 2024 | |
Deputy Speaker | |
Duma Boko since 1 November 2024 | |
Government Whip | |
Opposition whip | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 69 |
 | |
National Assembly political groups | Government (49)
Official opposition (15) Minority opposition (4) Presiding officer (1) |
| Elections | |
| First-past-the-post voting | |
First National Assembly election | 18 October 1969 |
Last National Assembly election | 30 October 2024 |
Next National Assembly election | By October 2029 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| National Assembly Chamber Gaborone South-East District | |
| Website | |
| www | |
There also exists a body known as Ntlo ya Dikgosi, (The House of Chiefs), which is an advisory body that does not form part of the Parliament.[4]
Botswana is one of only two African nations (together with Mauritius) to have achieved a clean record of free and fair elections since independence, having held 11 elections since 1966 without any serious incidents of corruption.[5]
