| President of the Republic of Botswana | |
|---|---|
| Tautona wa Botswana (Tswana) | |
 Presidential flag | |
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| Style | Mr President His Excellency |
| Residence | State House |
| Seat | Gaborone |
| Appointer | Parliament of Botswana |
| Term length | Five years, renewable once |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Botswana (1966) |
| Formation | 30 September 1966; 59 years ago (1966-09-30) |
| First holder | Seretse Khama |
| Succession | Vice-President of Botswana |
| Salary | P 1,075,056[1] |
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| Constitution |
Judiciary |
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Thepresident of the Republic of Botswana is thehead of state and thehead of government ofBotswana, as well as thecommander-in-chief of theBotswana Defence Force, according to theConstitution.[2] The president is elected by theNational Assembly, the sole house of theParliament, and is usually the leader of the largest party. The Constitution limits the president's tenure to two five-year terms. The first president to be elected under the constitution wasSir Seretse Khama, who was the prime minister from 1965 until 1966, after which he served as president until his death on 13 July, 1980.[3] The most recent incumbent isDuma Boko, who was elected by the National Assembly on 1 November 2024 following the2024 general election. The president may be removed by amotion of no confidence.
The president is elected to a five-year term that runs concurrently with the term of theNational Assembly.[4] Previously, a president could be reelected any number of times. In 1997, under the second president,Quett Masire, term limits were imposed on the office for the first time.[5][6] Since 1998, the president has been limited to a total of 10 years in office (equivalent to two full terms), whether successive or separated.[6] The first president for whom the term limits applied wasFestus Mogae, who was required to leave office for good in 2008.[7] Each president gets a guaranteed pension.[8]
During the general election campaign, all candidates for the National Assembly declare whom they endorse for President when they lodge their nomination papers. If a party oralliance secures an absolute majority of elected MPs in the legislative elections, its presidential candidate, always the party or alliance's leader, becomes the new president immediately without the need for an investiture vote.[9][10][11] In practice, since legislative elections are conducted throughfirst-past-the-post voting, elections have always produced single-party majority governments ever since the firstgeneral election in 1965 and thus a presidential election by Members of Parliament has never happened.
The president is elected by the members of theNational Assembly following a general election that produces ahung parliament. In the event that no candidate secures a simple majority, the National Assembly elects the president through secret ballot, with a simple majority of the total number of MPs (excluding 'specially-elected' MPs) required to win. This election is limited to candidates whose party at least 10 MPs. If, after three rounds of voting, no candidate is elected, two additional rounds may be authorized by thespeaker, if it is deemed that a successful election remains possible. Should these rounds also fail to produce a winner, or if the speaker declines to authorise further rounds, the National Assembly will be dissolved andsnap elections will be held.[9]
The president's survival in office is dependent on whether their government enjoys theconfidence of a majority of the National Assembly. They can be removed by amotion of no confidence, prompting their resignation or if not, thedissolution of parliament if the president refuses to do so, which triggers a snap election.
The president is the head of state, head of government and commander-in-chief of theBotswana Defence Force. The rights, responsibilities and remuneration of the president are enumerated in Chapter III of theConstitution and subsequent acts passed by the National Assembly.
The executive powers of the republic are vested in the president, who appoints various officials to positions listed in the Constitution, the most significant of which are the cabinet ministers and Justices of Appeal of the Court of Appeal. The president should consult the Cabinet on respective matters of policy. The president could assent or withhold his assent on bills passed by the National Assembly. If the National Assembly passed the bill again the President shall assent or withhold his assent within 21 days, or could dissolve the National Assembly. The president is accorded the constitutional powers to declare state of public emergencies and grant pardons or commutation with the advice of the Advisory Committee of Prerogative of Mercy.
| No. | Portrait | Name (birth–death) | Term of office | Party (coalition) | Elected[12][13] | Government | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||||
| 1 |  | Seretse Khama (1921–1980) | 30 September 1966 | 13 July 1980 # | 13 years, 287 days | Botswana Democratic Party | 1965 | S. Khama I | [14][15] [16][13] | |
| 1969 | S. Khama II | |||||||||
| 1974 | S. Khama III | |||||||||
| 1979 | S. Khama IV | |||||||||
| 2 |  | Quett Masire (1925–2017) | 18 July 1980 | 31 March 1998 | 17 years, 256 days | Botswana Democratic Party | 1984 | Masire I | [5][13] | |
| 1989 | Masire II | |||||||||
| 1994 | Masire III | |||||||||
| 3 |  | Festus Mogae (born 1939) | 1 April 1998 | 1 April 2008 | 10 years | Botswana Democratic Party | 1999 | Mogae I | [17][18] [19] | |
| 2004 | Mogae II | |||||||||
| 4 | _(cropped)_(cropped).jpg) | Ian Khama (born 1953) | 1 April 2008 | 1 April 2018 | 10 years | Botswana Democratic Party | – | I. Khama I | [20][21] [22] | |
| 2009 | I. Khama II | |||||||||
| 2014 | I. Khama III | |||||||||
| 5 |  | Mokgweetsi Masisi (born 1961) | 1 April 2018 | 1 November 2024 | 6 years, 214 days | Botswana Democratic Party | – | Masisi I | [23][24] | |
| 2019 | Masisi II | |||||||||
| 6 | | Duma Boko (born 1969) | 1 November 2024 | Incumbent | 1 year, 22 days | Botswana National Front (UDC) | 2024 | Boko | [25] | |
