Botswana Movement for Democracy | |
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Leader | Thuso Tiego |
Founded | 29 May 2010 |
Split from | Botswana Democratic Party |
Ideology | National conservatism Right-wing populism Christian right Anti-LGBT sentiment[1] 2010–2023: Liberalism[2] |
Political position | Right-wing[3] 2010–2023: Centre |
National affiliation | None Formerly: Umbrella for Democratic Change (2012–2018) |
Continental affiliation | Africa Liberal Network[4] |
National Assembly | 0 / 57 |
Councillors | 1 / 490 |
The Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) is a political party in Botswana, founded in 2010 by MPs and other politicians who parted ways with the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) due to differences with Ian Khama, the leader of the BDP and the President of Botswana at the time.[5]
It marked a significant break from the BDP, which had held power in Botswana since the country's independence in 1966. The inaugural congress of the BMD took place on May 2, 2011, during which Gomolemo Motswaledi was elected as its first leader. Botsalo Ntuane, then-Gaborone West South constituency MP and Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, assumed the role of party Vice President. Sydney Pilane, who had been the party's Public Relations Officer since its inception, lost his bid for Party President to Motswaledi. The primary objective was to remove the existing "undemocratic" Khama-led government through constitutional and democratic means, with the aim of restoring and promoting a united, non-racial, non-sexist, and democratic Botswana.[6]
In preparation for the 2014 general election, the BMD joined forces with the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) alliance, ultimately becoming the country's second-largest party, with nine of its candidates securing seats in Parliament. However, in 2018, the BMD was expelled from the UDC after it refused to relinquish certain constituencies that had been allocated to the Botswana Congress Party following its entry into the alliance.[7]
Initially liberal in orientation, the party shifted to right-wing populist[3] and Christian-conservative discourse in 2023 after Thuso Tiego became party leader.