Keorapetse clarifies seating protocol in Assembly
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday February 23, 2026 06:00
This came after the Leader of the Opposition (LoO) raised a point of procedure on the status of BPF in the debates in the house.
“According to Standing Order 14.1, each member is assigned a seat by the Clerk of the National Assembly. These seats are arranged in a manner determined by the Speaker, after consulting with the leaders of the parties represented in the Assembly,” Keorapetse said. “As per this arrangement, the duo, which includes an independent member, is seated on the front bench as they hold positions in the Cabinet,” he said.
Furthermore, he said the facts as presented do not indicate any formal agreement between the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) and BPF parties, nor do they indicate any negotiated terms of cooperation or alliance between BPF and UDC parties. Therefore, he indicated that no confusion arises on the status of BPF in the House, as the BPF is not part of the UDC.
“The honourable Leader of Opposition suggested that confusion arises on whether they are speaking as the ruling party or as the opposition. The clarity is as follows: when the BPF Assistant Ministers speak, they speak as Cabinet members of the minority opposition party. When non-Cabinet members of the BPF speak, they speak as members of the minority opposition party,” he said.
In addition, he said the appointment of two individual BPF members as Assistant Ministers does not, without more, constitute a 'coalition between parties' within the ordinary meaning of that phrase or the apparent purpose of Standing Order 7.4.
In that regard, the Speaker said the essential characteristics of a coalition are absent: there is no formal agreement between parties; no negotiated terms of cooperation; no party-level authorisation or commitment; no material impact on parliamentary arithmetic given UDC's majority; and no features indicative of a coalition.
Saleshando had asked the Speakership to advise on whether the appointment of two BPF members of Parliament as Assistant Ministers in the government led by the UDC changes the status of the BPF and thus constitutes a coalition between the two parties requiring notification to the Speaker under Standing Order 7.4 of the National Assembly. The National Assembly of Botswana comprises sixty-one (61) elected members distributed as follows: UDC with 36 members; Botswana Congress Party (BCP) with 15 members; BPF with five members; and Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) with four members and one independent Candidate. Additionally, there are six Specially Elected Members of Parliament.
He, however, said that with this breakdown, it is evident that the BPF is a minority party in the 13th Parliament. Keorapetse said accordingly, just as other minority parties, the BPF has taken up this position in earnest.
He also indicated that, like other minority parties, non-Cabinet members of the BPF are included in the Parliamentary Oversight Committee and as an example, Leapetswe Lesedi is in fact Chairperson of the Standing Orders Reforms Committee.
“Similarly, other non-Cabinet BPF members are of other committees such as the Committee on Wildlife, Tourism, Natural Resources and Climate Change, Committee on Agriculture, Lands and Housing, Committee on Finance, Trade and Economic Development, Committee on Labour and Home Affairs, amongst other committees,” he said. He revealed that section 43(3) of the Constitution provides that “Appointments to the office of Minister or Assistant Minister shall be made by the President from among Members of the National Assembly” Therefore, Constitution does not mandate or prescribe that Ministers should only be selected from members of the ruling party or any party in particular but from all Members of the National Assembly.
The Speaker of the National Assembly said it is important to note forthwith that the linkage is between Ministers as Members of Parliament and not Ministers as Members of the ruling party. “To this end, members of the BPF were duly appointed as Assistant Ministers in terms of Section 43 of the Constitution. Members, the Constitution does not suggest that such appointment subsumes, baptises or redesignates the status of the BPF in the House,' said.
He said, in fact, if such appointments had any bearing on the status of the BPF, it would require an invocation of Standing Order 7.4, which provides that 'a coalition between parties must be notified to the Speaker'. The central issue is whether the appointment of BPF members to cabinet positions constitutes a 'coalition between parties' warranting notification under Standing Order 7.4.