The advent of self-rule saw the leader of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) Seretse Khama become the first Prime Minister of Botswana after his party had a landslide victory (about 80%) at the elections. As Prime Minister, Seretse Khama was head of government, and he reported to the British Governor, who was the head of state. This dispensation ended in 1966 when Botswana attained full independence, and Seretse Khama assumed the position of Head of State or President. In 1969 Botswana held its second one-person one-vote general election, which was the first poll since restored independence. While the result was a strong victory for the BDP, which won 24 of the 31 elected seats, its share of the vote at 68% was down from about 80% it had received in the previous poll. Also, compared to the previous poll, there had been a significant decline in the total number of citizens who had turned out to cast ballots. Seventy-seven candidates contested the election. The BDP put up a full slate of 31 candidates, while the Botswana National Front (BNF), which was contesting for the first time, had 21.
The Botswana People's Party (BPP) had 15, and the Botswana Independence Party (BIP) had nine. There was a single independent candidate. The BDP was led by Seretse Khama, the BPP by Philip Matante and the BIP by Motsamai Mpho. During that election, Kgosi Bathoen II Gaseitsewe of the BNF defeated then Vice President Ketumile Masire in Kanye, resulting in the latter returning to Parliament as a specially elected member. The first time the BDP experienced a serious electoral decline was in 1994. The BNF tripled its presence in Parliament by winning 13 parliamentary seats including all four in the capital, Gaborone. At the time the party was riddled by factionalism between Barata Phathi led by the party chairman the late Peter Mmusi and the Secretary General Daniel Kwelagobe on the one, and on the other hand, Big Five, led by the late Lt General Mompati Merafhe. The BDP treated the decline in their electoral fortunes as a defeat because they were not used to having such a large number of MPs in opposition benches. Despite pronouncements of unity and peace in the party factionalism persisted in the BDP.
