The BDP is determined to recruit heavily from the BCP in a bid to crush the latter’s will and break its spirit as a political force. Our contention is that the BDP’s strategy is ill-advised and likely to backfire as it seems to be driven by personal vendetta as opposed to a well-thought-out political strategy. The BDP needs a strong, united and defiant BCP that refuses to cooperate with other opposition parties with the BDP being the main beneficiary. On the other hand, a weakened and desperate BCP will have no choice but to cooperate with other opposition parties –the last thing the BDP needs!
Perhaps, we should provide a context here. In October 2014 the country experienced the most competitive elections in the 50 years of the BDP’s rule since independence in 1966. For the first time in the country’s history, the combined opposition won 20 seats in Parliament while the BDP got 37 seats. This translated into about 52% of the popular vote for the opposition with the BDP managing only 46.7%. Hence, the BDP retained power by the skin of its teeth, thanks to the country’s first-past-the-post electoral system.
