2026/05/06 by William Hatungimana · 1 voice
Social Sciences · #African studies and sociopolitical issues #Island Studies and Pacific Affairs #Political Conflict and Governance
paper · pdf · doi:10.1177/09750878261445755
openalex publication_date 2026/05/06 · openalex created_date 2026/05/07 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/15
This article explores why a decrease in the incumbent liberation party’s support in the 2024 general election influenced power turnover in Botswana but not in South Africa and Namibia. It examines the ideological influence of liberation parties and citizen dissatisfaction and argues that electoral institutions significantly influenced election outcomes. The first-past-the-post electoral system, which incentivises pre-election coalition-building and favours large parties, facilitated Botswana’s opposition party coalition (UDC) electoral victory. However, the proportional representation (PR) system in South Africa and the mixed system (PR and two rounds) in Namibia disincentivised opposition coalitions, allowing incumbent parties to remain in power despite citizen dissatisfaction.