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Botswana Democratic Party Phathi ya Tomokoraga | |
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Abbreviation | BDP |
Chairman | Slumber Tsogwane |
Speaker of the National Assembly | Phandu Skelemani |
Leader of the House | Slumber Tsogwane |
Founder | Seretse Khama |
Founded | November 1961 |
Headquarters | Tsholetsa House, Gaborone |
Ideology | Paternalistic conservatism[1] |
Political position | Centre[2] to centre-right[3][4][5][6] |
Regional affiliation | FLMSA |
International affiliation | Socialist International (consultative)[7] |
Colours | Red Black White |
National Assembly | 4 / 69 |
Pan African Parliament | 3 / 4 |
Party flag | |
Website | |
bdp.org.bw | |
The Botswana Democratic Party (abbr. BDP; Tswana: Phathi ya Tomokoraga) is a political party in Botswana. It was the ruling party of Botswana for 58 years, from independence in 1966 until the 2024 general election. Its chairman is Slumber Tsogwane and its symbol is a lift jack. The BDP is sometimes classified as a paternalistic conservative party, but it is also a consultative member of the Socialist International, a worldwide alliance of social-democratic parties. The BDP was shaped primarily by two of its founders, Seretse Khama and Quett Ketumile Masire. Traditional Setswana communities make up the party's base, which has led the BDP to remain a conservative movement.