# Botswana votes with diamonds, jobs and a long-ruling party on the line

Botswana went to the polls on 2024-10-30 in a national election that could extend or interrupt one of Africa’s longest uninterrupted party rules. The vote is for the 61 seats of the National Assembly, which will later choose the president, and it comes at a moment when the ruling Botswana Democratic Party is defending not just its record but its ability to adapt to a changing economy.

The Botswana Democratic Party has governed the country since independence in 1966 and has held the presidency throughout that period. President Mokgweetsi Masisi, 63, is seeking a second and final term. He told reporters after voting in his home village of Moshupa that this was his “final hurrah” and said he had enjoyed the contest. The AP report described a boisterous final rally in Gaborone the night before the vote, with Masisi wearing a bright red jacket, the color of his party, and dancing with supporters.

The campaign has been dominated by the economy. Botswana has long been presented as a regional success story, with a stable democracy and relatively strong living standards, but the country has been hit by a slump in global demand for diamonds. That matters because diamonds are central to state finances and exports. AP reported that unemployment had risen to 27% in 2024 and was even higher among young people. The government has said it needs policy change and has promised to diversify the economy.

That economic strain has helped narrow the gap between the BDP and its rivals, according to analysts cited by AP. Masisi faced three challengers for the presidency: Duma Boko of the Umbrella for Democratic Change, Dumelang Saleshando of the Botswana Congress Party and Mephato Reatile of the Botswana Patriotic Front. One voter quoted by AP said concerns about employment and wage structures were driving participation, underscoring how economic frustrations have become the central campaign issue.

The stakes are not abstract. Botswana is the world’s second-largest producer of natural diamonds after Russia, and its government has relied heavily on the sector through Debswana, the joint venture with De Beers. AP reported that rough diamond sales at Debswana fell nearly 50% in the first half of 2024. That hit has fed the sense that the country’s long-standing growth model is under pressure, even as the ruling party says it is listening to voters.

The vote also carries institutional significance. Counting was expected to start as soon as polls closed, with results expected within days. But the broader political question is whether Botswana’s unusually durable ruling party can convince voters that continuity still offers the best route through a period of economic uncertainty. The ballot, in other words, is not only about who gets the presidency. It is also about whether the country’s model of stability can survive the strain of a diamond downturn and persist without the dominance of the party that shaped it.