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Serowe North

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Serowe North
Single-member constituency
for the National Assembly
Boundary of Serowe North
DistrictCentral
Population37,879[1]
Major settlementsSerowe
Area4,608 km2
Current constituency
Created1965
Party  BPF
Created fromSerowe North East
Serowe North West
Abolished1999
Re-established2014
MPBaratiwa Mathoothe
Margin of victory1,038 (8.2 pp)

Serowe North is a constituency in the Central District represented by Baratiwa Mathoothe, a BPF MP in the National Assembly of Botswana since 2019.

Constituency profile

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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.[2] 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.[3]

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:

  1. Moreomabele
  2. Serule
  3. Parts of Serowe
  4. Gojwane
  5. Paje
  6. Mabeleapodi
  7. Majwanaadipitse
  8. Tshimoyapula
  9. Topisi

Members of Parliament

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Key:   BDP   BPF

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

Election results

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2019 election

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General election 2019: Serowe North[4]
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
BPF gain from BDP Swing +46.81

2014 election

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General election 2014: Serowe North[5]
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
BDP notional hold

1999 election

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General election 1999: Serowe North[6]
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
BDP hold Swing +6.34

1994 election

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General election 1994: Serowe North[7]
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
BDP hold Swing −5.17

1989 election

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General election 1989: Serowe North[7]
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
BDP hold Swing −3.1

1984 election

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General election 1984: Serowe North
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
BDP hold Swing −3.53

1979 election

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General election 1979: Serowe North
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
BDP Colin Blackbeard 4,352 99.10 +0.25
BNF T. 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
BDP hold Swing +0.25

1974 election

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General election 1974: Serowe North[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
BDP Colin Blackbeard 3,360 98.85
BNF T. E. Kuhlman 39 1.15
Margin of victory 3,321 97.7
Turnout 3,389 37.04
Registered electors 9,149
BDP hold

1969 election

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General election 1969: Serowe North[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
BDP Seretse Khama Walkover N/A
Majority N/A N/A
Registered electors 5,437
BDP hold

1965 election

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General election 1965: Kanye South[10]
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
BDP win (new seat)

References

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  1. ^ 2022 DELIMITATION COMMISSION REPORT (PDF). 2022. p. 46.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Basimanebotlhe, Tsaone (2022-10-10). "Serowe constituencies vulnerable as BPF rumpus continues". Mmegi Online. Retrieved 2023-06-16.
  4. ^ Independent Electoral Commission - Botswana National Assembly, 2019
  5. ^ Independent Electoral Commission - Botswana National Assembly, 2014
  6. ^ Independent Electoral Commission - Botswana National Assembly, 1999
  7. ^ a b Results by constituency
  8. ^ Report to the Minister of State on the general elections, 1974 (PDF). Supervisor of Elections. 1974.
  9. ^ "Report on the General Elections 1969" (PDF). 1969.
  10. ^ 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.