General elections were held in

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kal ...

on 20 October 1979. The result was a fourth successive landslide victory for the

Botswana Democratic Party The Botswana Democratic Party (abbr. BDP) is the governing party in Botswana. Its chairman is the Vice-President of Botswana, Slumber Tsogwane, and its symbol is a lift jack. The party has ruled Botswana continuously since gaining independence ...

(BDP), which won 29 of the 32 elected seats, including two in which they were unopposed.Botswana: The October 1979 General Election
EISA

Campaign

A total of 69 candidates contested the election. The BDP was the only party to run a full slate of 32 candidates, with the

Botswana National Front The Botswana National Front (BNF) is a social democratic political party in Botswana. It has been the main opposition party in Botswana since the 1969 elections. The party achieved its greatest electoral success in the 1994 elections, when it ...

putting forward 16 candidates, the

Botswana People's Party The Botswana People's Party (BPP), originally the Bechuanaland People's Party, is a political party in Botswana formed in December 1960 during the colonial era. As a result of disappointment with the Legislative Council, under the leadership of ...

14 and the

Botswana Independence Party The Botswana Independence Party (BIP) was a political party in Botswana that existed from 1962 to 1994. The BIP was founded in 1962 by former members of the Botswana People's Party (BPP) and was led by Motsamai Mpho. During its existence, the ...

five. There were also two independents. The BDP campaigned on opposition to

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

and a call for economic sanctions against

Zimbabwe-Rhodesia Zimbabwe Rhodesia (), alternatively known as Zimbabwe-Rhodesia, also informally known as Zimbabwe or Rhodesia, and sometimes as Rhobabwe, was a short-lived sovereign state that existed from 1 June to 12 December 1979. Zimbabwe Rhodesia was p ...

.Botswana
IPU Prior to the elections, the voter roll was completely revamped. The revision was accompanied by a vigorous radio and press campaign by the government to encourage registration. Although the number of registered voters increased by only 6,635 compared to the

1974 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1974. Africa * 1974 Botswana general election * 1974 Guinean general election * 1974 Kenyan general election * 1974 Rhodesian general election * 1974 Seychellois parliamentary election * 1974 South A ...

, this was deemed to be due to the 1974 voter roll having numerous duplications.

Results

References

{{Botswana elections Elections in Botswana

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

Bostwana Election and referendum articles with incomplete results