The National Assembly of Botswana is the legislature

Legislature

A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...

 of the country's unicameral Parliament

Parliament of Botswana

The Parliament of Botswana consists of the President and the National Assembly. In contrast to other Parliamentary systems, the Parliament elects the President directly for a set five year term of office. There are no term limits...

. It is advised by the House of Chiefs

House of Chiefs of Botswana

The House of Chiefs of Botswana is an advisory body of the country's Parliament.-Composition:The House of Chiefs consists of 35 members. Eight members are hereditary chiefs from Botswana's principal tribes...

, which is not a house of Parliament.

The current National Assembly, formed following elections

Botswana general election, 2009

General elections were held in Botswana on 16 October 2009. They were the 10th general elections held since Botswana's independence in 1966. Botswana's parliament has 61 seats, of which 57 are elected using a single-member district plurality system, meaning there are 57 constituencies, each...

 held on 16 October 2009, has a total of 63 members. 57 members are directly elected in single member constituencies using the simple-majority (or First-past-the-post

First-past-the-post

First-past-the-post voting refers to an election won by the candidate with the most votes. The winning potato candidate does not necessarily receive an absolute majority of all votes cast.-Overview:...

) system for a term of five years. Four members are co-opted (appointed by the President) while the remaining two (the President and Attorney-general) are ex-officio.

Current composition

Previous National Assembly election results

Political Party Political party A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...	Election Election An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...  Year
1965	1969	1974	1979	1984	1989	1994	1999	2004
Botswana Democratic Party Botswana Democratic Party The Botswana Democratic Party is the governing conservative party in Botswana. Its chairman is Daniel Kwelagobe.BDP was shaped by Sir Seretse Khama, who is celebrated for nurturing the economic and political success of Botswana. The party's base is in the traditional Setswana communities, and it...  (BDP)	28	24	27	29	29	31	27	33	44
Botswana National Front Botswana National Front The Botswana National Front has been the main opposition party in Botswana since the 1969 elections.It achieved its greatest electoral success in the 1994 elections, when it won 37.1% of the vote and 13 of 40 parliamentary seats. A factional conflict in 1998 led to the departure of 11 of these...  (BNF)	-	03	02	02	04	03	13	06	12
Botswana People's Party Botswana People's Party The Botswana People’s Party is a progressive political party in Botswana, led by Bernard Balikani. BPP is the first political movement in Botswana having being formed in 1960. At the last general election, the party won no seats.-History:...  (BPP)	03	03	02	01	01	-	-	-	-
Botswana Independence Party Botswana Independence Party The Botswana Independence Party was a political party in Botswana that existed from 1964 to 1994.The BIP was founded in 1964 by former members of the Botswana People's Party and was led by Motsamai Mpho....  (BIP)	-	01	01	-	-	-	-	-	-
Botswana Congress Party Botswana Congress Party The Botswana Congress Party is a social-democratic political party in Botswana, considered the third largest party in Botswana.The BCP was founded in 1998 in a split from the Botswana National Front, with most of the BNF's sitting Members of Parliament joining the new party after a leadership...  (BCP)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	01	01
Total	31	31	32	32	34	34	40	40	57

Note: In the pre-independence 1965 election, the Botswana Democratic Party was known as the Bechuanaland Democratic party and the Botswana People's Party was known as the Bechuanaland People's Party.

Despite being a one party dominant state since independence, all elections held in the country have been considered democratic, free, and fair.

See also

• House of Chiefs of Botswana
  House of Chiefs of Botswana
  The House of Chiefs of Botswana is an advisory body of the country's Parliament.-Composition:The House of Chiefs consists of 35 members. Eight members are hereditary chiefs from Botswana's principal tribes...
  
   - the upper chamber of Parliament
• History of Botswana
  History of Botswana
  The Batswana, a term also used to denote all citizens of Botswana, refers to the country's major ethnic group . Prior to European contact, the Batswana lived as herders and farmers under tribal rule.-Before European contact:...
  
  
• Legislative Branch
• List of Speakers of the National Assembly of Botswana