UDC once again humbles BDP and BCP in by-election

The Umbrella for Democratic Change has won bragging rights following the weekend victory of the Mapoka-Nlapkhwane ward by-election at the expense of Botswana Congress Party and Botswana Democratic Party.Since the 2019 general election, the UDC has bagged 13 out of the 17 by-elections on offer. The BDP won only four, while the BCP has yet to win a by-election.While for the BDP and BCP the Mapoka-Nlapkhwane by-election was an opportunity to redeem themselves, the UDC was eager to demonstrate to the rest of opposition that opposition cooperation works.This is despite the fact that opposition parties almost always outperform the ruling BDP on by-elections only for the ruling party to reclaim the wards in the next general elections. This has led detractors to suggest that the UDC lacks a retention strategy and that the string of wins is insignificant.There is a school of thought that says by-elections, especially those that happen close to the general elections give the winner the necessary momentum for the next general elections. The BCP, a former member of the UDC, left the UDC recently amid warnings that its gains outside the UDC are at stake.Despite the perennial loses in the by-elections, the BCP remains adamant that it will not go back to the UDC until the collective adopts democracy as a guiding principle.Evidently not wanting to openly express concern for the string of by-election losses, the BDP secretary general, Kavis Kario said in an interview that they are not agonising over by-election outcomes.‘’We are going to analyse the performance so that we are able to establish what led to the loss. Every ward or constituency has got its peculiar dynamics. However, there are instances where the dynamics are common,’’ Kario said.He does not rule out the possibility that since by-elections cannot change government, BDP foot soldiers may be complacent in their campaign activities considering that their party remains in power.‘’A poor performance such as the Mapoka-Nlapkhwane election, could be an expression of dissatisfaction and displeasure by the electorate who have issues and are looking for government intervention. The bottom line though is that, the BDP remains the only party with the wherewithal to run a government,’’ the ruling party official said.Kario believes that by the 2024 general elections, the ruling party will have resolved some of the development issues which have political implications.The BDP, whose candidate in the Mapoka-Nlapkhwane was Thomas Chabalala, finished in position three in the threesome by-election with 278 votes.The BCP candidate, Nthomamisi Ndaba was elected by 327 voters which put him on second position. Meanwhile, the winner, Nabulani Lenyatso of the UDC, won with 565 votes.

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UDC once again humbles BDP and BCP in by-election