Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD)

The Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) was founded in 2010 to defend and advance the rights of the peoples of Botswana, reverse the progressive destruction of their independence and address the threat of an authoritarian government in Botswana.

The departure of several key figures, most notably Gomolemo Motswaledi (who would later become the inaugural President of BMD) and Ndaba Gaolathe, from the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) was prompted by conflicts with the party’s leader and then-President of Botswana, Ian Khama. Gaolathe  previously served as an advisor and scriptwriter for President Mogae, and he also played a crucial role as the chairman of Gomolemo Motswaledi’s 2008 campaign for the Gaborone Central parliamentary seat. The BMD was founded in April 2010 to defend and advance the rights of the peoples of Botswana during and in order to interrupt and reverse the progressive destruction of their independence and the creation of what, by most accounts, threatens to be an authoritarian government. In 2012, the BMD collaborated with the Botswana National Front (BNF) and the Botswana People’s Party (BPP) to establish the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC)