Shoshong (Botswana constituency) explained

Shoshong
Type:Single-member
Parl Name:National Assembly
Blank3 Name:MP
Blank3 Info:Aubrey Lesaso
Blank4 Name:Margin of victory
Blank4 Info:2,174 (35.4 pp)
Population:31,267[1]
Year:1965
Party: BDP

Shoshong is a constituency in the Central District represented in the National Assembly of Botswana by Aubrey Lesaso, a BDP MP and Assistant Minister for Tertiary Education, originally elected as a UDC MP in 2019.

Constituency profile

Situated in the southeast of the Central District of Botswana, the Shoshong constituency was established in 1965 for the country's inaugural elections and is one of Botswana's longest extant constituencies.

Reflecting the dominant Ngwato population, the constituency was historically a Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) stronghold. From 1965 to 2014, the BDP consistently garnered an average of 80% of the vote. However, since the turn of the century, the BDP's dominance began to wane, with its vote share decreasing in each subsequent election.

In 2019, echoing a broader trend within the district, a significant political realignment occurred as Ian Khama, paramount chief of the Ngwato tribe fell out with the incumbent president, Mokgweetsi Masisi and leader of the BDP. This political discord impacted the constituency's voting patterns.[2] [3] The 2019 election saw a significant 22-point swing towards the opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) from the BDP, marking their strongest national performance and the first time an opposition party won Shoshong.

The constituency, predominantly rural, encompasses the following villages:[4]

  1. Shoshong
  2. Mmutlane
  3. Kalamare
  4. Bonwapitse
  5. Mosolotshane
  6. Ikongwe
  7. Kodibeleng
  8. Otse
  9. Mokgenene
  10. Poloka
  11. Moralane
  12. Dibete

Members of Parliament

Key:

width=100Electionwidth=175 colspan=2Winner
bgcolor=Goareng Mosinyi
width=5 bgcolor=
width=5 bgcolor=
width=5 bgcolor=
width=5 bgcolor=
bgcolor=Esther Mosinyi
bgcolor=Modibedi Robi
bgcolor=Gobopang Lefhoko
width=5 bgcolor=
bgcolor=Dikgang Makgalemele
bgcolor=
bgcolor=Aubrey Lesaso

Election results

1965 election

Notes and References

  1. Book: 2022 DELIMITATION COMMISSION REPORT . 2022. 44.
  2. Seabo . Batlang . Nyenhuis . Robert . 2021-11-23 . Botswana's 2019 General Elections: A Referendum on General Ian Khama . African Studies Review . en . 64 . 4 . 854–883 . 10.1017/asr.2021.69 . 244539238 . 0002-0206.
  3. Web site: Basimanebotlhe . Tsaone . 2022-10-10 . Serowe constituencies vulnerable as BPF rumpus continues . 2024-04-12 . . en.
  4. Book: REPORT OF THE DELIMITATION COMMISSION, 2012 . 2012.