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1974 Botswana general election

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1974 Botswana general election

← 1969 26 October 1974 1979 →

32 of the 36 seats in the National Assembly
17 seats needed for a majority
Registered205,050
  Majority party Minority party
 
Leader Seretse Khama Bathoen Gaseitsiwe
Party BDP BNF
Leader's seat None[a] Kanye South
Last election 68.33%, 24 seats 13.54%, 3 seats
Seats won 27 2
Seat change Increase3 Decrease1
Popular vote 49,047 7,358
Percentage 76.62% 11.49%
Swing Increase8.29pp Decrease2.05pp

  Third party Fourth party
 
Leader Philip Matante Motsamai Mpho
Party BPP BIP
Leader's seat Francistown Okavango
Last election 12.14%, 3 seats 5.99%, 1 seats
Seats won 2 1
Seat change Decrease1 Steady
Popular vote 4,199 3,086
Percentage 6.56% 4.82%
Swing Decrease5.58pp Decrease1.17pp

Results by constituency

President before election

Seretse Khama
BDP

Elected President

Seretse Khama
BDP

General elections were held in Botswana on 26 October 1974. With 205,050 registered voters, turnout was just 31.22%.[1] The result was a third successive landslide victory for the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), who won 27 of the 32 elected seats,[2] including four in which they were unopposed.[3] Local elections were held on the same day, with a turnout of just 30.3%, and saw the BDP strengthen its position.[3]

Campaign

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A total of 63 candidates contested the elections. The BDP ran a full slate of 32 candidates, the Botswana National Front had 14 candidates, the Botswana People's Party had eight, the Botswana Independence Party had six, and there were three independents.[3]

Results

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PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Botswana Democratic Party49,04776.6227+3
Botswana National Front7,35811.492–1
Botswana People's Party4,1996.562–1
Botswana Independence Party3,0864.8210
Independents3210.500New
Indirectly-elected members40
Total64,011100.0036+1
Registered voters/turnout205,050
Source: EISA, Nohlen et al.

Notes

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  1. ^ Incumbent presidents are ineligible to contest National Assembly seats; instead, they serve as ex-officio members of Parliament.

References

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  1. ^ Botswana: 1974 National Assembly results EISA
  2. ^ Dieter Nohlen, Michael Krennerich & Bernhard Thibaut (1999) Elections in Africa: A data handbook, p113 ISBN 0-19-829645-2
  3. ^ a b c Botswana: The October 1974 General Election EISA