Congress to determine BPF ’s alliance with UDC
Spira Tlhankane | Monday October 27, 2025 12:04
The contest between incumbent president Mephato Reatile and secretary-general Lawrence Ookeditse is more than just a leadership battle; it is a struggle for the ideological and strategic soul of the BPF.
The BPF was born out of dissent, a breakaway movement from the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), carrying with it both the promise of reform and the burden of fragmentation. Under the leadership of Reatile, the party took a bold, some say reckless decision to pull out of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) coalition just months before the 2024 general election.
With the BPF, contesting independently, the decision proved costly as the party suffered heavy electoral losses, with Reatile himself losing his Jwaneng-Mabutsane constituency seat to the very coalition he had abandoned. For many in the BPF, that defeat was a wake-up call. It exposed the limits of the party’s reach and reignited debate over whether survival outside the central district and the UDC was even possible.
Ookeditse’s case for reunification
Ookeditse, the party’s articulate and ambitious secretary-general, now an Assistant Minister of Health in the UDC government, has taken a bold step to challenge someone he says he respects. His candidacy for the BPF presidency is anchored on one clear promise: reuniting the BPF with the UDC and other like-minded parties. Ookeditse argues that the BPF, on its own, lacks the electoral muscle to mount a credible challenge in 2029. His pitch is a pragmatic return to the coalition, rebuild relationships, and leverage collective strength.
“This party will not be in isolation; it will grow alongside like-minded allies,” he recently declared. “We must move with like-minded partners, not as competitors, but as allies in shaping Botswana’s political future.” For Ookeditse and his lobby team, the BPF’s future lies in independence, which he says can be achieved through alliances. Ookeditse, who is part of the UDC executive, wants to make a calculated compromise that could restore relevance and open pathways to governance influence.
Reatile’s resistance
Reatile, however, remains unconvinced. The incumbent leader views the BPF’s independence as a matter of principle and identity. For him, the party’s value lies in its autonomy and its ability to stand apart from political conglomerates and offer a distinct alternative to voters disillusioned with both the ruling and opposition blocs.
But critics within his own ranks argue that Reatile’s stance is idealistic and detached from electoral realities. Even his challenger, Ookeditse, maintains that the political landscape has changed; therefore, the BPF needs a strategic redirection. Reatile maintains that it is not about him but is the members who will decide the party’s fate in the UDC. Reatile’s withdrawal from the UDC, some members say, isolated the BPF, drained its momentum, and weakened its grassroots base.
As the congress approaches, Reatile faces the dual challenge of defending the UDC pull-out decision and convincing delegates that independence is still a viable strategy in Botswana’s increasingly coalition-driven political environment.
The outcome of the BPF congress will ripple beyond the party’s walls. Should Ookeditse triumph, the BPF is likely to rejoin the UDC, potentially strengthening the coalition’s parliamentary numbers and unifying forces ahead of the next election in 2029. Such a move would also signal a political reconciliation and fix the rift caused by Reatile’s withdrawal, and restore the BPF’s place in coalition politics. Conversely, if Reatile retains control, the BPF may continue to chart an independent course, but at the risk of political marginalization.