The smooth transfer of power in Botswana following last week’s historic elections provides many useful lessons for Zimbabwe, which has been struggling to hold credible polls since independence in 1980.
Outgoing president Mokgweetsi Masisi last Friday conceded defeat to the then president-elect Duma Boko soon after it became clear that his party, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) was not going to garner enough parliamentary seats to win the presidency.
The outcome marked the end of 58 years of rule by the BDP, which rose to power when the southern African country got independence from British rule in 1966.
Masisi pledged to hand over power to Boko and within hours the incoming president was sworn in.
The BDP leader said: “I will respectfully step aside and participate in a smooth transition process ahead of inauguration.”
Masisi’s move to accept defeat and immediately offer support to his successor was a demonstration of maturity in a region where some incumbents find it difficult to accept the will of the people.
The fact that we did not hear the ruling party beating up the war drums as soon as it became clear that its grip on power was being loosened is something worth celebrating.
In Zimbabwe, the ruling party unleashes violence and does all sorts of things to close down the democratic space when it learns that the electorate is not on its side.
Last year, the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) election observer mission concluded that Zimbabwe’s harmonised elections did not meet regional standards.
Instead of embracing recommendations by the mission, the ruling Zanu PF party and the government chose to go for the messenger and unleashed a propaganda war against Zambian leader Hakainde Hichilema.
Hichilema’s crime was that he appointed former Zambia vice president Nevers Mumba to lead the Sadc mission. Zambia was accused of pushing a regime change agenda in Zimbabwe through the Sadc observer mission.
There are many other examples from previous elections where Zanu PF has found it difficult to accept the will of the people during elections because of an element of entitlement where the ruling party strongly feels that it should be retained in power perpetually because of its role in the war of independence.
Former president Robert Mugabe in 2008 decided to hang on to power even after he was defeated by the late Morgan Tsvangirai in presidential elections.
Mugabe admitted later in his life that he had lost the polls but members of his inner circle prevailed on him not to concede. One of the biggest lessons from Botswana, among many, is that leaders need to put the interests of their countries first for democracy to blossom.