The Alliance for Progressives is a social-liberal political party in Botswana.
History
In July 2017 the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) president Ndaba Gaolathe and five other members of the party's executive were expelled from the party.1 As a result, Gaolathe set up a new leadership committee, which was later transformed into a breakaway party, the Alliance for Progressives. The new party was formally established on 28 October 2017 with Gaolathe as leader and Wynter Mmolotsi as deputy president.2 Six sitting MPs joined the party, although Haskins Nkaigwa later returned to the UDC,3 leaving it with five seats going into the 2019 general elections.4
The elections saw the party receive 5% of the vote, finishing third behind the Botswana Democratic Party and the Umbrella for Democratic Change in terms of popular vote share. However, it only retained a single seat, with Mmolotsi winning in the Francistown South constituency.
The party joined the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) alliance ahead of the 2024 general elections. Although the party only marginally increased its vote share to 6%, it won six seats, with the UDC securing a majority in the National Assembly.
Election results
National Assembly
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Ndaba Gaolathe | 39,561 | 5.12 | 1 / 57 | New | 4th | Opposition |
| 20245 | 46,799 | 5.82 | 6 / 61 | 5 | 3rd | Government |
Notes
References
BMD splits and Alliance for Progressives is born The Economist Intelligence Unit, 27 September 2017 http://country.eiu.com/article.aspx?articleid=1655935149 ↩
Alliance for Progressives Launches Botswana Daily News, 29 October 2017 https://allafrica.com/stories/201710300228.html ↩
AP loses Nkaigwa, gains Monageng The Patriot, 6 March 2019 https://www.thepatriot.co.bw/news/item/6741-ap-loses-nkaigwa,-gains-monageng.html ↩
Botswana’s ruling party has been in power 50 years. That could change this week. The Washington Post, 21 October 2019 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/10/21/botswanas-ruling-party-has-been-power-years-that-could-change-this-week/ ↩
Ran as part of the UDC /wiki/Umbrella_for_Democratic_Change ↩