# Constitution of Botswana Takes Effect (30 September 1966)

URL: https://allhistories.com/botswana/timeline/1966-constitution-of-botswana-takes-effect
Location: Gaborone, Botswana
Themes: main-event

The Constitution of Botswana took effect on 30 September 1966, the day of independence. It replaced the office of prime minister with a president elected by the legislature, which was renamed the National Assembly. The president became chief executive and commander of the armed forces, and chooses a vice president from among members of the Assembly. Earlier drafting had begun in 1959, when a Constitutional Committee of the Joint Advisory Council prepared the protectorate's first formal constitution, which took effect in 1960. Consultations on a second constitution conferring self-government began in 1963, and the 1965 general election was held under it. Both followed the Westminster model, adapted to include the House of Chiefs, later called the Ntlo ya Dikgosi. Chapter 2 guarantees rights regardless of race, creed or sex, including life, liberty, security, conscience, expression, assembly and association. The High Court can interpret the document and judges serve until age 70. Wikipedia reports 16 amendments up to 1 February 2021. The Ntlo ya Dikgosi remains purely advisory, with no veto, which shaped the balance between chiefs and elected politicians. At this point in the timeline (1966), Seretse Khama (from independence on 30 September 1966 until his death on 13 July 1980) was the first President of Botswana, both head of state and head of government.

## Why it matters
The 1966 constitution fixed an executive presidency chosen through parliament and a justiciable Bill of Rights, the framework that governed every later transfer of power.

Ruler at the Time: [Seretse Khama](https://allhistories.com/botswana/rulers/seretse-khama-1966)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Constitution of Botswana](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Botswana)
- [Wikipedia — Ntlo ya Dikgosi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ntlo_ya_Dikgosi)
- [Wikipedia — History of Botswana](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Botswana)