Ever since it gained independence from Britain in 1966, the Republic of Botswana has drawn considerable attention from the international community for its post-colonial democratization.  Heralded as a role model for its quality public institutions and observance of democratic norms, Botswana remains Africa’s oldest uninterrupted democracy. The country has had just five presidents over the span of 53 years, with a consistent record of free and fair multiparty elections and peaceful transfers of power to boot.

Aided by the absence of civil war and coups, Botswana’s post-colonial transition made the country a developmental anomaly among the Southern African Development Community (SADC) member-states. Whereas fellow SADC states either plunged into civil war (Angola, Mozambique) or engaged in protracted, violent independence campaigns (South Africa, Zimbabwe), Botswana enjoyed economic growth in the 20^th century that more closely mirrored emerging markets in East Asia. Adherence to a foreign policy of non-alignment allowed the country to avoid the trappings of Cold War alliances and proxy conflicts that swarmed its region.

Furthermore, the successive governments headed by the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which has won every post-independence election, allowed for unhindered long-term planning and productive statecraft. Such circumstances explain in part how the country managed to eclipse most of the continent in major measurements of socioeconomic progress. Popular metrics such as the United Nations’ Human Development Index placed Botswana 4^th on the continent, with Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index ranking Botswana as the second least-corrupt state among all sub-Saharan countries.

Yet, recent events in the country suggests the appetite for the BDP-led consensus that dominates Botswana’s politics is waning. Consolidation and alliance-building by the opposition led to the formation of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC). Having first contested elections in 2014, the UDC managed to win 17 of the 57 seats in the National Assembly, giving the BDP the most formidable challenge the party had ever seen.

Making matters worse for the BDP was the recent high-profile departure of Ian Khama, a former president and the son of Botswana’s inaugural president and BDP founder, Seretse Khama. Khama’s endorsement of the opposition followed a rift between Khama and incumbent President Mokgweetsi Masisi, allegedly over the latter’s dismissal of the country’s intelligence chief, a key Khama ally.