The paper then goes further, "It is also common cause that the BDP emerged out of the election as the winner of the majority seats at both Parliamentary and Local Government level. However, one cannot use the simple majority barometer to determine the actual winner without risking being simplistic in analyzing the real meaning of the outcome of the October 16 national poll". The paper then has the audacity to pronounce that whilst BDP increased its parliamentary seats by one, from 44 to 45, they also increased the share of popular vote by 'an insignificant increase of 1.73%. "It is against this background that it is not difficult to see why there is little to celebrate by a party that has ruled Botswana for an uninterrupted 43 years". This is factually incorrect, and is in contravention of the basic principles of journalism.
The truth of the matter is that both the BDP and the BCP have made gains. The BDP polled 290 099 in the just ended general elections compared to 213 308 in 2004, whilst the BCP registered 104 302 against 68 556 registered in 2004. The BDP has thus increased its popular vote by a significant 1.73%, which is a whopping 77 184 new votes: a phenomenal growth by all standards. The BCP on the other hand increased its popular vote by 2.6%, which in turn translates to about 35 746 new votes more than they got in 2004. In short the BDP was voted in by 77 184 new voters, whilst the BCP was voted for by 35 746 new voters. When we combine BCP's new vote 35 746 and BAM's 671 new vote, totaling 36 417 votes, the BDP still has registered more new votes than the BCP and BAM combined. Interestingly BAM has made an insignificant and paltry 671 more votes compared to their 2004 showing.
