View source for Botswana Independence Party

{{Short description|Political party located in Botswana}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Politics of Botswana}}
The '''Botswana Independence Party (BIP)''' was a [[political party]] in [[Botswana]] that existed from 1962 to 1994.

The BIP was founded in 1962 by former members of the [[Botswana People's Party]] (BPP)  and was led by [[Motsamai Mpho]].

During its existence, the BIP played the role of a minor opposition party. The party participated in five national elections (1969, 1974, 1979, 1984, and 1989), but managed to gain representation in the [[National Assembly of Botswana|National Assembly]] only twice (1969 and 1974), both times winning only one seat.

In 1994, the BIP merged with the [[Botswana Freedom Party]] (BFP) to form the [[Independence Freedom Party]] (IFP) under the leadership of Motsamai Mpho. The IFP won only 3% of the vote and no seats in elections held on 15 October 1994. Soon after, the IFP ceased to exist.

The party advocated for [[Pan-Africanism|pan-africanism]],<ref>D.I. Ray:Dictionary of the African Left, Dartmouth Publishing Company Ltd., 1988, p. 67</ref>
[[social democracy]],<ref>D.I. Ray: Dictionary of the African Left, Dartmouth Publishing Company Ltd., 1988, p. 67</ref>
[[centrism]]<ref>J.H. Polhemus:The Journal of Modern African Studies Vol. 21, no. 3: Botswana Votes: Parties and Elections in an African Democracy, p. 404</ref> and later for
[[liberalism]] and [[neoliberalism]]<ref>D. Sebudubudu, B. Z Osei-Hwedie: In permanent opposition: Botswana's other political parties , in: South African Journal of International Affairs 17(1):85-102 , April 2010, p. 100: "leftist until the emergence of neoliberalism"</ref>

== Electoral results ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! Election
! Leader
! Votes
! %
! Seats
! Seat change
! Rank
! Status
|-
| [[1965 Bechuanaland general election|1965]]
| [[Motsamai Mpho]]
| 6,491
| 4.61%
| {{Composition bar|0|35|{{party color|Bechuanaland Independence Party}}}}
| {{Steady}} 0
| {{Increase}} 3rd
| {{Eliminated|Extra-parliamentary}}
|-
| [[1969 Botswana general election|1969]]
| [[Motsamai Mpho]]
| 4,601
| 6.01%
| {{Composition bar|1|35|{{party color|Botswana Independence Party}}}}
| {{Increase}} 1
| {{Decrease}} 4th
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
| [[1974 Botswana general election|1974]]
| [[Motsamai Mpho]]
| 3,086
| 4.82%
| {{Composition bar|1|36|{{party color|Botswana Independence Party}}}}
| {{Steady}} 0
| {{Steady}} 4th
| {{no2|Opposition}}
|-
| [[1979 Botswana general election|1979]]
| [[Motsamai Mpho]]
| 5,657
| 4.21%
| {{Composition bar|0|36|{{party color|Botswana Independence Party}}}}
| {{Decrease}} 1
| {{Steady}} 4th
| {{Eliminated|Extra-parliamentary}}
|-
| [[1984 Botswana general election|1984]]
| [[Motsamai Mpho]]
| 7,288
| 3.20%
| {{Composition bar|0|38|{{party color|Botswana Independence Party}}}}
| {{Steady}} 0
| {{Steady}} 4th
| {{Eliminated|Extra-parliamentary}}
|-
| [[1989 Botswana general election|1989]]
| [[Motsamai Mpho]]
| 6,209
| 2.48%
| {{Composition bar|0|38|{{party color|Botswana Independence Party}}}}
| {{Steady}} 0
| {{Steady}} 4th
| {{Eliminated|Extra-parliamentary}}
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:African socialist political parties]]
[[Category:Defunct political parties in Botswana]]
[[Category:Socialism in Botswana]]

{{Botswana-party-stub}}