Editing Politics of Botswana (section)

=== Presidency of Quett Masire ===
Khama served as president until his death in 1980, at which point Vice President Masire became president. The opposition gained support in the 1980s and 1990s as the country urbanised and the BDP's rural [[political base]] shrank.{{Sfn|Leith|2005|p=33}}

The [[Kgabo Commission]], part of a corruption controversy involving Vice President [[Peter Mmusi]] and BDP Secretary General [[Daniel Kwelagobe]], dominated the politics of Botswana in 1991 and brought about an era of factionalism in the BDP.<ref name="Ntuane" /><ref name=":16">{{Cite journal |last1=Lotshwao |first1=Kebapetse |last2=Suping |first2=Kekgaoditse |date=2013 |title=The 2010 split of the Botswana Democratic Party |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/310771824 |journal=Pula: Botswana Journal of African Studies |volume=27 |issue=2 |pages=343–360}}</ref> Mmusi's resignation led to [[Festus Mogae]] being chosen as the next vice president. The incident firmly established a growing factional conflict within the BDP. Mmusi and Kwelagobe formed one faction, the Big Two. [[Mompati Merafhe]] and his supporters—namely [[David Magang]], [[Bahiti Temane]], [[Roy Blackbeard]] and [[Chapson Butale]]—formed an opposing faction, the Big Five.<ref name="Ntuane" /> Merafhe later took on [[Jacob Nkate]] as his closest ally and they dubbed themselves the [[A-Team (Botswana)|A-Team]].<ref name=":16" /> The Big Two appealed the findings of the commission in court, but they were ultimately suspended from parliament. Their supporters then gained power after the [[1994 Botswana general election|1994 general election]]. Amid this inter-party conflict, the BNF became a significantly stronger opposition, winning thirteen seats.<ref name="Ntuane">{{Cite journal |last=Ntuane |first=Botsalo |date=2018 |title=President Festus Mogae: The Regent Who Became King |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/90026925 |journal=Botswana Notes and Records |volume=50 |pages=333–338 |jstor=90026925 |issn=0525-5090}}</ref> Kwelagobe aligned with [[Ponatshego Kedikilwe]] following Mmusi's death and they renamed themselves the [[Barata-Phathi]].<ref name=":16" />

After the BDP's poor performance in the 1994 election, South African academic [[Lawrence Schlemmer]] was brought in by the party to provide a political strategy. He recommended replacing the long-standing members of the BDP with newer, non-factional members, with a particular focus on the presidency.<ref name=":16" /> Multiple constitutional reforms were enacted in Botswana following [[1997 Botswana electoral reform referendum|a referendum]] in 1997: the vice president was designated the automatic successor of the president, the voting age was lowered to eighteen and an independent electoral commission was established.<ref name="Ntuane" /> These reforms were championed by Masire, as automatic succession allowed him to anoint a successor.<ref name="Ntuane" /><ref name=":16" />