In the previous congresses, the BDP factional politics had reached the apogee with party members including President Festus Mogae aligning themselves to factions. Factional politics had overnight transformed BDP from a conservative lot whose congresses were predictable to robust politics where nothing could be taken for granted. Newspaper pages were dripping with ink of hate as BDP democrats took each other on in a no-holds barred battle that was hitherto unheard of in the Botswana's equivalent of the Good Old Party (GOP).
The days of high drama have since ended with the party leadership imposing a semblance of peace. The divisive lobby lists ahead of elections have been outlawed and so are promotional materials fanning factionalism such as t-shirts or media adverts. There have been some minor rapprochements between BDP factions. BDP kingmaker GUS Matlhabaphiri, long-serving secretary general Daniel Kwelagobe and their faction's philosopher king Ponatshego Kedikilwe have all been brought into cabinet. This has somewhat sedated the BDP body politic.
