# 1994 General Election (15 October 1994)

URL: https://allhistories.com/botswana/timeline/1994-1994-general-election
Location: Gaborone, Botswana
Themes: main-event

Wikipedia records that on 15 October 1994 the Botswana Democratic Party won 27 of the 40 contested seats, down four, with 54.59 percent of the vote. The Botswana National Front won 13, up ten, with 37.09 percent, and the Botswana People's Party took 4.09 percent. A majority required 21 seats. Turnout was 76.55 percent of 370,169 registered voters. The BNF tripled its seats and won all four Gaborone constituencies. After the 1991 census six new constituencies had been created, five of them urban: three in Gaborone, one in Francistown and a new seat in Lobatse. The BNF considered a boycott over the refusal to reform the electoral system or lower the voting age from 21, but it contested the poll, believing the government vulnerable. The campaign focused on rent and utility costs and unemployment, while the BDP stressed stability and was weakened by infighting after the land scandals. The incumbent president was re-elected by the National Assembly and inaugurated on 19 October. Wikipedia notes that 1994 was the BNF's best result until the 2024 elections. At this point in the timeline (1994), Quett Masire (13 July 1980 – 31 March 1998) was President of Botswana, both head of state and head of government; as Vice-President he acted from 13 July 1980 after the death of Seretse Khama, and the National Assembly elected him on 18 July.

## Why it matters
The urban swing of 1994 first showed that the dominant party could be seriously challenged, and it pushed electoral reform onto the agenda.

Ruler at the Time: [Quett Masire](https://allhistories.com/botswana/rulers/quett-masire-1980)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — 1994 Botswana general election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_Botswana_general_election)
- [Wikipedia — Elections in Botswana](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_Botswana)
- [Wikipedia — Kgabo Commission](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kgabo_Commission)