Serowe North
| Serowe North | |
|---|---|
| Single-member constituencyfor the National Assembly | |
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| District | Central |
| Population | 29,972 |
| Major settlements | Serowe |
| Area | 3,004 km2 |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 1965 |
| Party | BPF |
| Created from | Serowe North EastSerowe North West |
| Abolished | 1999 |
| Re-established | 2014 |
| MP | Baratiwa Mathoothe |
| Margin of victory | 4,836 (40.3 pp) |
Serowe North is a constituency in the Central District represented by Baratiwa Mathoothe, a BPFMP in the National Assembly of Botswana since 2019.
Constituency profile
Serowe North lies in the Central District and is primarily rural, with the main settlement being the village of Serowe. The constituency is part of the three historically safe BDP seats that flipped to the BPF and had an average swing of 76.7pp towards the BPF.[1] This shift was attributed to the fact that the BaNgwato tribe, of which the Khama family is the royal family, resides in the Serowe area. Prior to Ian Khama's departure from the BDP, the constituency consistently voted for the party by significant margins. However, following the fallout between Ian Khama and President Mokgweetsi Masisi, Khama encouraged people in the Serowe region to vote for the newly formed BPF and this message strongly resonated with the locals.[2]
Serowe North was the constituency of Botswana's first President, Seretse Khama, from 1965 until a constitutional amendment stated that the sitting president could not simultaneously be an elected member of the National Assembly in 1974. As such, it was traditionally always one of the BDP's safest strongholds in the country, with the party rarely obtaining less than 90% of the vote there from its establishment ahead of the inaugural 1965 elections until its last election in 1999 before its abolition ahead of the 2004 elections.
The constituency has the following localities:[3]
- Parts of Serowe
- Paje
- Mabeleapodi
- Tshimoyapula
Members of Parliament
| Election | Winner | |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 election | Seretse Khama | |
| 1969 election | ||
| 1974 election | Colin Blackbeard | |
| 1979 election | ||
| 1984 election | ||
| 1989 election | Roy Blackbeard | |
| 1994 election | ||
| 1998 by-election | Ian Khama | |
| 1999 election | ||
| 2014 election | Kgotla Autlwetse | |
| 2019 election | Baratiwa Mathoothe | |
| 2024 election | ||
Election results
2024 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BPF | Baratiwa Mathoothe | 7,635 | 63.66 | +21.00 | |
| BDP | Ogaketse Mathware | 2,799 | 23.34 | −11.11 | |
| BCP | Matthews Batsalelwang | 1,126 | 9.39 | N/A | |
| BRP | Kabelo Pusoetsile | 433 | 3.71 | N/A | |
| Margin of victory | 4,836 | 40.32 | +32.11 | ||
| Total valid votes | 11,993 | 99.24 | +0.27 | ||
| Rejected ballots | 92 | 0.76 | −0.27 | ||
| Turnout | 12,085 | 81.49 | −2.38 | ||
| Registered electors | 14,830 | ||||
| BPFhold | Swing | +16.06 | |||
2019 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BPF | Baratiwa Mathoothe | 5,394 | 42.66 | New | |
| BDP | Kgotla Autlwetse | 4,356 | 34.45 | –50.95 | |
| UDC | Keaobaka Kgano | 1,656 | 13.10 | +3.62 | |
| Independent | Dikgakgamatso Seretse | 926 | 7.32 | New | |
| AP | Dods Selebego | 312 | 2.47 | New | |
| Margin of victory | 1,038 | 8.21 | N/A | ||
| Total valid votes | 12,644 | 98.97 | +0.01 | ||
| Rejected ballots | 131 | 1.03 | –0.01 | ||
| Turnout | 12,775 | 83.87 | +2.38 | ||
| Registered electors | 15,231 | ||||
| BPFgain from BDP | Swing | +46.81 | |||
2014 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BDP | Kgotla Autlwetse | 9,611 | 85.40 | ||
| UDC | Dods Selebogo | 1,067 | 9.48 | ||
| BCP | Motswakhumo Basego | 576 | 5.12 | ||
| Margin of victory | 8,544 | 75.92 | |||
| Total valid votes | 11,254 | 98.96 | |||
| Rejected ballots | 118 | 1.04 | |||
| Turnout | 11,372 | 81.49 | |||
| Registered electors | 13,955 | ||||
| BDPnotional hold | |||||
1999 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BDP | Ian Khama | 5,430 | 92.02 | +4.72 | |
| BNF | S. G. Ramaribana | 329 | 4.74 | −7.96 | |
| BCP | Toro Lesego | 225 | 3.24 | −9.46 | |
| Margin of victory | 5,101 | 87.28 | +12.68 | ||
| Total valid votes | 6,946 | 96.19 | N/A | ||
| Rejected ballots | 275 | 3.81 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 7,221 | 73.27 | +10.2 | ||
| Registered electors | 9,856 | ||||
| BDPhold | Swing | +6.34 | |||
1994 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BDP | Roy Blackbeard | 5,430 | 87.3 | −5.17 | |
| BNF | Toro Lesego | 790 | 12.7 | +5.17 | |
| Margin of victory | 4,640 | 74.6 | −10.34 | ||
| Turnout | 6,220 | 63.07 | −5.39 | ||
| Registered electors | 9,862 | ||||
| BDPhold | Swing | −5.17 | |||
1989 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BDP | Roy Blackbeard | 7,036 | 92.47 | −3.1 | |
| BNF | Abednico Masalila | 573 | 7.53 | +3.1 | |
| Margin of victory | 6,463 | 84.94 | −6.2 | ||
| Turnout | 7,609 | 68.46 | −15.54 | ||
| Registered electors | 11,114 | ||||
| BDPhold | Swing | −3.1 | |||
1984 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BDP | Colin Blackbeard | 8,033 | 95.57 | −3.53 | |
| BNF | Modiri Khama | 372 | 4.43 | +3.53 | |
| Margin of victory | 7,661 | 91.14 | −7.06 | ||
| Turnout | 8,405 | 84.00 | +24.54 | ||
| Registered electors | 10,006 | ||||
| BDPhold | Swing | −3.53 | |||
1979 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BDP | Colin Blackbeard | 4,352 | 99.10 | +0.25 | |
| BNF | Todd E. Kuhlman | 50 | 0.90 | −0.25 | |
| Margin of victory | 4,302 | 98.2 | +0.5 | ||
| Turnout | 6,481 | 59.46 | +22.42 | ||
| Registered electors | 10,900 | ||||
| BDPhold | Swing | +0.25 | |||
1974 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BDP | Colin Blackbeard | 3,360 | 98.85 | |
| BNF | Todd E. Kuhlman | 39 | 1.15 | |
| Margin of victory | 3,321 | 97.7 | ||
| Turnout | 3,389 | 37.04 | ||
| Registered electors | 9,149 | |||
| BDPhold | ||||
1969 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BDP | Seretse Khama | Walkover | N/A | |
| Margin of victory | N/A | N/A | ||
| Registered electors | 5,437 | |||
| BDPhold | ||||
1965 election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BDP | Seretse Khama | 5,909 | 98.47 | ||
| BIP | K. K. Motshedisi | 53 | 0.88 | ||
| BPP | K. T. Moletsane | 39 | 0.65 | ||
| Margin of victory | 5,856 | 97.59 | |||
| Turnout | 6,001 | N/A | |||
| Registered electors | N/A | ||||
| BDPwin (new seat) | |||||
References
- ^Seabo, Batlang; Nyenhuis, Robert (2021-11-23). "Botswana's 2019 General Elections: A Referendum on General Ian Khama". African Studies Review. 64 (4): 854–883. doi:10.1017/asr.2021.69. ISSN 0002-0206. S2CID 244539238.
- ^Basimanebotlhe, Tsaone (2022-10-10). "Serowe constituencies vulnerable as BPF rumpus continues". Mmegi Online. Retrieved 2023-06-16.
- ^2022 DELIMITATION COMMISSION REPORT(PDF). 2022. p. 46.
- ^Independent Electoral Commission - Botswana National Assembly, 2019
- ^Independent Electoral Commission - Botswana National Assembly, 2014
- ^Independent Electoral Commission - Botswana National Assembly, 1999
- ^ abResults by constituency
- ^Report to the Minister of State on the general elections, 1974(PDF). Supervisor of Elections. 1974.
- ^"Report on the General Elections 1969"(PDF). 1969.
- ^Gossett, Charles W.; Kebapetse, Lotshwao (21 April 2013). "Report on the 1965 General Election and the 1966 Local Government Election". Botswana Notes & Records. 41. Rochester, NY: Social Science Research Network (published 2009): 17. SSRN 2254423. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
