Seismic change in Botswana as party that ruled for 58 years loses power

Associated Press

GABORONE, Botswana (AP) — The party of Botswana’s opposition candidate Duma Boko has been declared the election winner over incumbent President Mokgweetsi Masisi in a seismic change that ended the ruling party’s 58 years in power since independence from Britain. Masisi conceded defeat even before final results were announced on Friday, with his Botswana Democratic Party trailing in fourth place in the parliamentary elections in what appeared to be a humbling rejection by voters and a landslide victory for the main opposition party. Boko, the candidate of the opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change, was later declared the president-elect of the southern African country, which is one of the world’s biggest producers of mined diamonds.