An abbreviation (from Latin brevis , meaning "short" ) is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method including shortening, contraction , initialism (which includes acronym) or crasis .
134-587: The Botswana Democratic Party , ( abbr. BDP , colloquially known as Domkrag ), is a centre-right political party in Botswana . From the country's inaugural election in 1965 until the 2024 general election the party governed the country without interruption for 58 years. At the time of its defeat, the BDP was the longest continuous ruling party in the democratic world. The party was founded in February 1962 as
268-525: A centre-right leaning on the political left–right axis , the BDP's ideological framework is quite broad. Officially, the party upholds national unity, economic development and political democracy as its core values, complemented by the concepts of "kagisano" ( lit. ' 'togetherness' ' ) and "botho" ( lit. ' 'humanity' ' ). A fundamental factor in maintaining the BDP's electoral dominance has been its unwavering support for Botswana's local tribal traditions. This stance has garnered
402-459: A " wasted vote " effect in psephology , ended the BDP's uninterrupted 58-year majority. In contrast, the historical opposition parties benefitted from the FPTP system's bias toward concentrated voter bases. The Botswana Congress Party leveraged its geographically dense support in the northern constituencies to maximize its seat-to-vote efficiency, securing official opposition status despite trailing
536-618: A "neocolonial" entity. Nonetheless, the party maintained a staunch opposition to the white minority regimes in neighboring South Africa , South West Africa and Rhodesia during its initial three decades in power, collaborating with forces opposing these regimes, such as the African National Congress (ANC). Under the leadership of Ian Khama , the BDP adopted a more assertive stance in promoting democracy in Africa through its foreign policy. It engaged in open conflict with
670-591: A colonial creation. During the late 1950s and 1960s, scholars of African nationalist struggles primarily focused on the Western-educated male elites who led the nationalist movements and assumed power after independence. The history of studies of women's involvement in African nationalist struggle, mobilization, and party politics can be traced along intellectual and political paths that initially followed, later paralleled, but have seldom deviated from or led
804-565: A country relying on exports of beef, copper and diamonds. In 1967, the discovery of the Orapa diamond deposits helped make this program viable. However, many social improvements were not visible to the majority of the population until the early 1970s. Simultaneously, the early years witnessed the strengthening of the authority of the Botswana central government over traditional tribal leadership, leading to some resentment among tribal leaders outside
938-541: A few examples, there is Aldi , from Theo Albrecht , the name of its founder, followed by discount ; Haribo , from Hans Riegel , the name of its founder, followed by Bonn , the town of its head office; and Adidas , from Adolf "Adi" Dassler , the nickname of its founder followed by his surname. African nationalism African nationalism is an umbrella term which refers to a group of political ideologies in West, Central, East and Southern Africa, which are based on
1072-570: A limited representative body of the protectorate, under the leadership of Seretse Khama, former head of the BaNgwato tribe, with Ketumile Quett Masire as general secretary. The party held its first constitutive congress in 28 February, 1962 and began organizing to establish a presence throughout the protectorate's territory. Masire also started publishing the party newspaper, Therisanyo ( lit. ' consultation ' ), in 1963, drawing from his past journalistic experiences. In everyday language,
1206-576: A native of the Bangwaketse region, spent his initial years in power consolidating his position within the party. He made some strategic moves to distance the BDP from the Ngwato elite and maintain dominance in other regions of the country. To achieve this, he appointed Peter Mmusi , MP for Gaborone, as vice-president. However, the 1984 general election signaled a change in the country's political landscape following Khama's death. Under Koma's leadership,
1340-622: A new two-thirds majority against the BNF, the BPP and the BIP, but electoral participation dropped significantly. With 68.21% of the vote and 24 of 31 seats elected, it would be the party's smallest victory under Khama's leadership. Indeed, the seven opposition MPs elected that year would be the most opposition the BDP would face in the first quarter-century of independence. The BDP dedicated its second term in power (1969-1974) to implementing policies that benefited
1474-597: A party leader. Motswaledi abandoned his ambition to run for a seat in Serowe to make way for the president's brother, Tshekedi Khama II , but he was soon barred from contesting a seat in Gaborone Central after openly clashing with Khama. Motswaledi lost a lawsuit against Khama when the High Court ruled that the president enjoyed presidential immunity from legal action due to his office. Although voices within
SECTION 10
#17327723747391608-480: A person's name, such as Migjeni —an abbreviation from his original name ( Millosh Gjergj Nikolla ) a famous Albanian poet and writer—or ASDRENI ( Aleksander Stavre Drenova ), another famous Albanian poet. Other such names which are used commonly in recent decades are GETOAR, composed from Gegeria + Tosks (representing the two main dialects of the Albanian language, Gegë and Toskë), and Arbanon —which
1742-673: A platform to address their own concerns as wives, mothers, industrial workers, peasants, and as women affiliated to the ANC. The 1940s Anti-tax protest in Tanzania involved the women of Peasant Pare, where women employed methods of direct confrontation, provocative language and physical violence. Explicit use of sexual insult was also central to the powerful Anlu protest of the Cameroon in 1958, where women refused to implement agricultural regulations that would have undermined their farming system. In
1876-555: A plural of an initialization without an apostrophe can also be used for a number, or a letter. Examples: For units of measure, the same form is used for both singular and plural. Examples: When an abbreviation contains more than one period, Hart's Rules recommends putting the s after the final one. Examples: However, the same plurals may be rendered less formally as: According to Hart's Rules , an apostrophe may be used in rare cases where clarity calls for it, for example when letters or symbols are referred to as objects. However,
2010-530: A professional army when faced with the serious threat of military incursions by apartheid South Africa . Regarding foreign policy, the BDP has historically adopted a Western-oriented approach, aligning closely with the United States , NATO and the European Union . This stance has prompted criticism from its detractors, particularly those from a leftist tradition, who have labeled the party as
2144-420: A profound change in the party's internal management. Despite these changes, the constitutional limit was not retroactive. Masire resigned as president and leader of the BDP on March 31, 1998, handing power to vice-president Festus Mogae, while the vice presidency remained in the hands of Seretse Khama's son, Ian Khama . The BDP adopted an internal reform that implemented the same limit for party leadership, setting
2278-425: A separate agreement to defuse their conflict and project an image of unity in preparation for the 2009 Botswana general election . With the opposition Botswana National Front grappling with a growing internal conflict around its leader, Otsweletse Moupo and several party leaders running as independents, the BDP achieved a sweeping victory, securing 53% of the votes and 45 out of 57 seats. They also gained control of
2412-557: A single letter and was originally spelled with lower case letters then there is no need for capitalization. However, when abbreviating a phrase where only the first letter of each word is taken, then all letters should be capitalized, as in YTD for year-to-date , PCB for printed circuit board and FYI for for your information . However, see the following section regarding abbreviations that have become common vocabulary: these are no longer written with capital letters. A period (a.k.a. full stop)
2546-517: A symbol such as "km" for " kilometre ". In the International System of Units (SI) manual the word "symbol" is used consistently to define the shorthand used to represent the various SI units of measure. The manual also defines the way in which units should be written , the principal rules being: A syllabic abbreviation is usually formed from the initial syllables of several words, such as Interpol = International + police . It
2680-407: A word with a trailing period. For example: etcetera is usually abbreviated etc. and abbreviation is sometimes abbreviated abbr. , abbrv. , or abbrev. . But sometimes the trailing period is not used for such shortened forms. A contraction is an abbreviation formed by replacing letters with an apostrophe. Examples include I'm for I am and li'l for little . An initialism or acronym
2814-568: Is a syllabic abbreviation of Commonwealth and (Thomas) Edison . Sections of California are also often colloquially syllabically abbreviated, as in NorCal (Northern California), CenCal (Central California), and SoCal (Southern California). Additionally, in the context of Los Angeles, the syllabic abbreviation SoHo (Southern Hollywood) refers to the southern portion of the Hollywood neighborhood. Partially syllabic abbreviations are preferred by
SECTION 20
#17327723747392948-533: Is a variant of the acronym. Syllabic abbreviations are usually written using lower case , sometimes starting with a capital letter , and are always pronounced as words rather than letter by letter. Syllabic abbreviations should be distinguished from portmanteaus , which combine two words without necessarily taking whole syllables from each. Syllabic abbreviations are not widely used in English. Some UK government agencies such as Ofcom (Office of Communications) and
3082-526: Is an abbreviation consisting of the initial letter of a sequence of words without other punctuation. For example, FBI ( /ˌɛf.biːˈaɪ/ ), USA ( /ˌjuː.ɛsˈeɪ/ ), IBM ( /ˌaɪ.biːˈɛm/ ), BBC ( /ˌbiː.biːˈsiː/ ). When initialism is used as the preferred term, acronym refers more specifically to when the abbreviation is pronounced as a word rather than as separate letters; examples include SWAT and NASA . Initialisms, contractions and crasis share some semantic and phonetic functions, and are connected by
3216-777: Is an alternative way used to describe all Albanian lands. Syllabic abbreviations were and are common in German ; much like acronyms in English, they have a distinctly modern connotation, although contrary to popular belief, many date back to before 1933 , if not the end of the Great War . Kriminalpolizei , literally criminal police but idiomatically the Criminal Investigation Department of any German police force, begat KriPo (variously capitalised), and likewise Schutzpolizei ( protection police or uniform department ) begat SchuPo . Along
3350-418: Is controversy as to which should be used. One generally accepted rule is to be consistent in a body of work. To this end, publishers may express their preferences in a style guide . Some controversies that arise are described below. If the original word was capitalized then the first letter of its abbreviation should retain the capital, for example Lev. for Leviticus . When a word is abbreviated to more than
3484-695: Is sometimes used to signify abbreviation, but opinion is divided as to when and if this convention is best practice. According to Hart's Rules , a word shortened by dropping letters from the end terminates with a period, whereas a word shorted by dropping letters from the middle does not. Fowler's Modern English Usage says a period is used for both of these shortened forms, but recommends against this practice: advising it only for end-shortened words and lower-case initialisms; not for middle-shortened words and upper-case initialisms. Some British style guides, such as for The Guardian and The Economist , disallow periods for all abbreviations. In American English ,
3618-584: Is typically US . There are multiple ways to pluralize an abbreviation. Sometimes this accomplished by adding an apostrophe and an s ( 's ), as in "two PC's have broken screens". But, some find this confusing since the notation can indicate possessive case . And, this style is deprecated by many style guides. For instance, Kate Turabian , writing about style in academic writings, allows for an apostrophe to form plural acronyms "only when an abbreviation contains internal periods or both capital and lowercase letters". For example, "DVDs" and "URLs" and "Ph.D.'s", while
3752-961: The British colonial administration. In 1958, he spearheaded the All Party Committee – the purpose of which was for self-governance and to determine the political direction of the Gambia free from European colonialism and neo-colonialism. In 1959, he organised the Bread and Butter demonstration from outside his house in Barthurst now Banjul , and led his followers to Government House to lobby the British colonial administration. Following that demonstration, Cham Joof and his associates Crispin Grey Johnson and M. B. Jones were indicted as "inciting
3886-613: The Gaborone City Council for the first time since 1984. The outcome solidified Khama's control over the party, even though questions about his leadership style persisted throughout his term. The remainder of the period was marked by economic challenges stemming from Great Recession that significantly impacted Botswana's economy. Khama implemented harsh austerity measures recommended by the International Monetary Fund , leading to conflicts with both
4020-715: The Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor for his "exemplary leadership" in making Botswana a "model" of democracy and good governance and he also received the Ibrahim Prize that same year. Ian Khama assumed the presidency and leadership of the BDP on April 1, 2008, succeeding Mogae after a decade. In his inaugural speech, Khama pledged to continue the course set by the Mogae administration, ruling out "radical changes." However, Khama's presidency coincided with an escalation in
4154-576: The Modern Language Association explicitly says, "do not use an apostrophe to form the plural of an abbreviation". Also, the American Psychological Association specifically says, "without an apostrophe". However, the 1999 style guide for The New York Times states that the addition of an apostrophe is necessary when pluralizing all abbreviations, preferring "PC's, TV's and VCR's". Forming
Botswana Democratic Party - Misplaced Pages Continue
4288-618: The National Assembly . On the same day, the BDP changed its name to the Botswana Democratic Party. In contrast to other African leaders of the time, Khama did not seek the establishment of a one-party state with the BDP as the sole legal party. Instead, he preferred to uphold the rule of law and maintain the presence of a "responsible opposition" in Parliament. Likewise, calls to immediately "indigenize"
4422-560: The Ngwato tribe 's territory in the Central District . Nevertheless, the party retained its overall majority, allowing President Khama to serve a second five-year term. After the elections, Khama initiated a cabinet reshuffle and appointed his former Minister of Education, Mokgweetsi Masisi , as vice-president and therefore his direct successor as president. On April 1, 2018, Khama completed his term and Masisi succeeded him as both
4556-516: The North-East District , where the BPP emerged victorious. However, voter turnout was the lowest in Botswana's electoral history, with only 31% of registered voters casting their ballots. Concerned about the possibility that high abstention could challenge its legitimacy, the BDP launched a broad media campaign in the second half of the 1970s to engage the population, encouraging voter registration and participation. The 1979 election saw
4690-690: The Old English poem Beowulf used many abbreviations, for example the Tironian et ( ⁊ ) or & for and , and y for since , so that "not much space is wasted". The standardisation of English in the 15th through 17th centuries included a growth in the use of such abbreviations. At first, abbreviations were sometimes represented with various suspension signs, not only periods. For example, sequences like ⟨er⟩ were replaced with ⟨ɔ⟩ , as in mastɔ for master and exacɔbate for exacerbate . While this may seem trivial, it
4824-707: The ZANU–PF government in neighboring Zimbabwe, accusing it of human rights violations. In recent years, the party has reaffirmed its historical role as a significant player in the struggle for Botswana's decolonization and independence. Once Mokgweetsi Masisi became president it became a part of the regional organization Former Liberation Movements of Southern Africa (FLMSA) in 2019, predominantly consisting of socialist parties that participated in African nationalist movements against colonialism or white minority regimes in southern Africa. Many of these parties now govern their countries as dominant and/or autocratic parties. Nevertheless,
4958-461: The nation state . However, one of the challenges faced by nationalists in unifying their nation after European rule were the divisions of tribes and the formation of ethnicism. African nationalism first emerged as a mass movement in the years after World War II as a result of wartime changes in the nature of colonial rule as well as social change in Africa itself. Nationalist political parties were established in almost all African colonies during
5092-485: The 1950s, and their rise was an important reason for the decolonisation of Africa between c. 1957 and 1966. However, African nationalism was never a single movement, and political groups considered to be African nationalists varied by economic orientation and degrees of radicalism and violence. Nationalists leaders struggled to find their own social and national identity following the European influence that controlled
5226-459: The 1990s led to a marked rise in colloquial abbreviation. This was due largely to increasing popularity of textual communication services such as instant and text messaging. The original SMS supported message lengths of 160 characters at most (using the GSM 03.38 character set), for instance. This brevity gave rise to an informal abbreviation scheme sometimes called Textese , with which 10% or more of
5360-516: The 2004 elections, where the BDP reaffirmed its majority with 44 of the 57 contested seats. Its popular vote was the lowest in its history at that time (at 52%). The campaign popularized the BDP slogan "There is Still No Alternative" to emphasize the inability of other parties to take power and govern the country. The transition of party leadership began, with Khama becoming increasingly active in politics before succeeding Mogae as president on 20 March 2008. French president Nicolas Sarkozy awarded Mogae
5494-661: The 20th century. The contractions in Newspeak are supposed to have a political function by virtue of their abbreviated structure itself: nice sounding and easily pronounceable, their purpose is to mask all ideological content from the speaker. A more recent syllabic abbreviation has emerged with the disease COVID-19 (Corona Virus Disease 2019) caused by the Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (itself frequently abbreviated to SARS-CoV-2 , partly an initialism). In Albanian, syllabic acronyms are sometimes used for composing
Botswana Democratic Party - Misplaced Pages Continue
5628-475: The African Nationalist moment. Whereas women's historians interested in effecting changes in the process and production of American or European history had to fight their way onto trains that had been moving through centuries on well-worn gauges, the "new" Africanist train had barely left the station in the early '60s. With a few exceptions, scholars have devoted little more than a passing mention of
5762-566: The BDP achieve another landslide victory, securing 75% of the vote and 29 of the 32 seats. Although the BDP managed to take the Francistown seat from the BPP, there was a slight drop in Gaborone, where BNF leader Koma received just over 40% of the vote. Khama was re-elected for a fourth term but passed away a few months later on July 13, 1980 and was succeeded by vice-president Quett Masire . Initially viewed as an "acting president," Masire,
5896-544: The BDP and its government continue to view themselves as allies of the West in international affairs, particularly on issues such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine , as they consistently vote in favor of condemnatory United Nations resolutions. Sponsored by the ANC, the BDP joined the Socialist International as an "observer member" in 2014. Abbreviation An abbreviation may be a shortened form of
6030-521: The BDP by over 79,000 votes nationally, leading to an electoral inversion . Similarly, the UDC consolidated its dominance in the southern and western regions and benefited from the steep decline in BDP support, while the pro-Ian Khama Botswana Patriotic Front effectively harnessed its concentrated support in the Ngwato-dominated constituencies around Serowe , allowing it to gain one more seat than
6164-558: The BDP implemented pro-free market policies, ensuring low and stable taxes to stimulate foreign investment and encourage mining company activities in the country while deterring budget evasion. The revenues generated from these endeavors were allocated to expanding the nation's infrastructure, which was practically non-existent at the time of independence, as well as strengthening the healthcare and education systems. Additionally, alternative industries such as livestock were nationalized. The party's consistent defense of social solidarity and
6298-402: The BDP obtain 65% of the popular vote, marking the first time in its history that it failed to secure more than two-thirds of the popular vote. Nonetheless, the party still managed to secure 31 of the 34 parliamentary seats. Benefiting from Bathoen's departure from the BNF and the division of votes with the new BFP, the BDP managed to penetrate its old support base in the Bangwaketse tribe, winning
6432-504: The BDP retained power with less support, largely benefiting from the first-past-the-post voting and facing an opposition plagued by constant divisions. Although its sources of voters have varied over the years and itself has suffered some splits that gave rise to other opposition parties, such as the liberal Botswana Movement for Democracy and the populist Botswana Patriotic Front , the BDP did not see its hegemony seriously threatened for much of its rule and won every election held since
6566-460: The BDP retained the seat. In January 1995, a series of demonstrations in Mochudi and Gaborone culminated in a student protest in front of the Parliament building, which was met with severe police repression, regarded as one of the most serious cases of police brutality in the country's history. This event prompted Masire's government to accede to some of the opposition's reformist demands, leading to
6700-501: The BDP to triumph in the south and in urban areas in the 2019 elections while losing votes and seats in the Central District. Having been a party of power for nearly six-decades, the BDP's ideology is considered by political analysts to be a party with an amorphous character, although in essence, it can be seen as a paternalistic conservative party that defends positions linked to traditionalism , economic nationalism ,
6834-501: The BDP's fortunes improved as the BNF faced internal conflicts between Kenneth Koma and a dissident faction led by Michael Dingake , which led to the founding of the Botswana Congress Party (BCP). The BDP achieved a landslide victory in the 1999 elections, winning 33 of the 40 elected seats and securing 57% of the popular vote. The economic situation improved in the following years, stabilizing popular support for
SECTION 50
#17327723747396968-535: The BDP, marking its worst result in history at that time. They secured only 37 of the 57 seats elected and 46% of the popular vote, compared to the UDC's 30% and the BCP's 20%. The party's losses were particularly pronounced in urban areas, experiencing a resounding defeat in the Gaborone City Council elections, where they ranked third in parliamentary strength behind the UDC and the BCP. This election marked
7102-412: The BDP. With the BDP's defeat beyond doubt, then-president Mokgweetsi Masisi conceded defeat two days after the election and ensured a peaceful transfer of power. Later that day, President Boko was sworn-in by Chief Justice Terence Rannowane , allowing him to form the first government since independence with no BDP participation. Although it is typically characterized as a conservative party with
7236-642: The BDP. The government maintained an international reputation for adhering to the rule of law. However, factionalism plagued the BDP throughout the 2000s, raising concerns that the party might split. The Barata-Phathi ( lit. ' 'Lovers of the Party' ' ) faction, led by Ponatshego Kedikilwe and former party secretary-general Daniel Kwelagobe , contended with the dominant faction, Team A, led by President Mogae, vice-president Khama and cabinet ministers Jacob Nkate and Mompati Merafhe . Despite these challenges, Mogae's leadership managed to maintain unity during
7370-410: The BDP. Within the party, which had been previously unified and disciplined, factionalism and internal conflicts began to surface, setting the tone for the party's future. While President Masire's leadership remained unquestioned, internal clashes between factions within the cabinet became commonplace. Despite Botswana's reputation for comparatively low corruption in sub-Saharan Africa, the first half of
7504-513: The BMD, BNF and BPP established the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) coalition, marking the first permanent alliance between various opposition parties since independence, exclusive of the BCP. Motswaledi tragically died in a car accident in 2014 under controversial circumstances, which cast a shadow over the subsequent election campaign. The 2014 general election was a significant setback for
7638-544: The BNF achieved a series of municipal victories and became the most voted force in the capital. Months later, an electoral fraud scandal, known as "Botswana Watergate," led to a re-election in Gaborone South in which Koma defeated vice-president Mmusi and assumed the role of Leader of the Opposition . The subsequent mandate was marked by economic difficulties, including an economic recession that adversely affected
7772-500: The BaNgwato. In this context, Bathoen Gaseitsiwe , chief of the Bangwaketse tribe, denounced the loss of tribal power and resigned his position to engage in politics. He joined the nascent Botswana National Front , led by socialist leader Kenneth Koma . In the context of profound apathy and conflicts with tribal leaders, the BDP suffered a significant loss of votes in the 1969 general elections . Nevertheless, it managed to secure
7906-504: The Bechuanaland Democratic Party while the country was a British protectorate . It adopted its current name following Botswana's independence in 1966. In its beginnings, it was led by Seretse Khama , the country's first president and his successor Quett Masire . Subsequent presidents of Botswana, Festus Mogae , Ian Khama and Mokgweetsi Masisi , have chaired the party. The party won an overwhelming majority in
8040-460: The Central District, it was affected by the concentration of the pro-Khama tribal vote in the UDC and the BPF. However, it enjoyed unexpected growth in urban areas and dominated in the southern part of the country, where most of the opposition's primary strongholds had been situated. Boko refused to acknowledge the results, alleging "massive electoral discrepancies," and announced his intention to challenge
8174-461: The Khama family while revoking various privileges. He also reversed several of Khama's controversial policies and adopted a more conciliatory stance towards the unions. Between 2018 and 2019, the relationship between the new president and Khama deteriorated to the point where the family severed ties with the BDP in early 2019, accusing Masisi of "treason." Many significant party leaders, particularly in
SECTION 60
#17327723747398308-607: The Ngwaketse South seat from the opposition. These elections revealed the significant overrepresentation of rural areas compared to urban areas. Although it marked the lowest popular vote achieved by the BDP in its history up to that point, the party secured its best historical result in parliamentary terms, controlling 91% of the seats in the National Assembly. Despite the BNF increasing its percentage of votes by almost 7%, it only obtained three seats, losing one of
8442-506: The President of Botswana and the leader of the BDP. Seen as closely associated with Khama, Masisi inherited a government and a party suffering a sharp decline in popularity and a weakened economy. Additionally, he faced a united and nominally strengthened opposition after the Botswana Congress Party joined the UDC. Shortly after taking office, Masisi adopted a leadership style distinct from his predecessor and began to politically marginalize
8576-567: The South African Native National Congress, the organisation was formed to advocate for the rights of black South Africans . When the National Party government came to power in 1948 , the ANC's central purpose became to oppose the new government's policy of institutionalised apartheid . In the post-apartheid era, the ANC continues to identify itself foremost as a liberation movement , although it
8710-464: The South. During the presidency of Ian Khama (2008–2018), a polarizing figure within the party itself, the BDP suffered considerable internal crises that changed its voter base. The presidency of Mokgweetsi Masisi saw the departure of Khama from the party and the founding of the BPF by members located in the Central District, as well as a recovery of the party in the cities (mostly opposed to Khama) that led
8844-492: The Tanganyikan African National Union. Mohammed, who was semi-illiterate, was an impressive orator and later combined her nationalist work in the 1950s with her political ambitions. She was one of the most visible Tanganyikan nationalists during the struggle against colonialism and imperialism. She was the only nationalist leader, besides Julius Nyerere , who was recognized across the country at
8978-466: The Thamaga parliamentary constituency, delayed due to the sudden death of Mmusi (a candidate in that constituency), highlighted the internal crisis of the BDP. Factionalism increased as the central leadership imposed Gladys Kokorwe 's candidacy despite the local congress overwhelmingly electing Kabo Morwaeng . Younger sectors of the BDP began demanding greater internal democracy in the party. Nonetheless,
9112-768: The US Navy, as they increase readability amidst the large number of initialisms that would otherwise have to fit into the same acronyms. Hence DESRON 6 is used (in the full capital form) to mean "Destroyer Squadron 6", while COMNAVAIRLANT would be "Commander, Naval Air Force (in the) Atlantic". Syllabic abbreviations are a prominent feature of Newspeak , the fictional language of George Orwell 's dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four . The political contractions of Newspeak— Ingsoc (English Socialism), Minitrue (Ministry of Truth), Miniplenty ( Ministry of Plenty )—are described by Orwell as similar to real examples of German ( see below ) and Russian ( see below ) contractions in
9246-404: The apostrophe can be dispensed with if the items are set in italics or quotes: In Latin, and continuing to the derivative forms in European languages as well as English, single-letter abbreviations had the plural being a doubling of the letter for note-taking. Most of these deal with writing and publishing. A few longer abbreviations use this as well. Publications based in the U.S. tend to follow
9380-415: The backing of Ngwato elites in the eastern part of the country while sometimes leading to the rejection of minority groups and the more globally-oriented urban class. Nevertheless, the BDP also places a strong emphasis on national unity over tribal affiliations, often adopting a civic nationalist rhetoric. In economic terms, the party has maintained a pragmatic approach. During its initial years in power,
9514-500: The bureaucracy, which had caused devastating effects on the public service in neighboring countries, were resisted. The government retained foreign expatriates working in the country until suitably qualified local replacements could be found. However, the following decades would be characterized by the overarching hegemony of the BDP. This was explained by the inability of its opponents to unite, being strongly influenced by tribal interests or advocating ideas based on African socialism that
9648-545: The colonial constitution of 1961 marked the establishment of a consultative Legislative Council. By 1960, the party system in the region was still very basic, with only the Federal Party existing, mostly oriented towards the small educated population, aiming to achieve independence from the protectorate through peaceful discussion and the African nationalist and socialist-based Bechuanaland People's Party (BPP). The BPP
9782-457: The conservative local population found too radical or unattractive. Nevertheless, tribal relations had a significant influence on the BDP, which was virtually the only party with a presence in the Central District (the territory of the Ngwato tribe) for decades. This dominance would continue until the 2019 Botswana general election in which Seretse Khama's son, Ian , would break ranks with the BDP and thereby ending its five-decade stranglehold over
9916-514: The course of Africanist historiography. The goal of these women involved in the African nationalism movement was to recover Africa's past and to celebrate the independent emergence of independent Africa. It was necessary to raise awareness of this cause, calling to the new emerging generation of African women, raised in a better, more stable society. Although the challenges they faced seemed increasingly more significant, they, however, had it better than past generations, allowing them to raise awareness of
10050-431: The crucial Central District, Ngwato territory, defected to the newly founded Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF). In constituencies where the BPF could not field a candidate, they supported the UDC. Looking ahead to the 2019 Botswana general election , the BDP adjusted its discourse and adopted a more personalized approach, emphasizing a forward-looking perspective and definitively breaking with the previous administration. With
10184-560: The death penalty, making Botswana the sole country in the Southern African Development Community that continues to enforce it. The party has rejected calls for its repeal, asserting that a majority of Botswana's population favors its continuation. In terms of security, the BDP initially allocated minimal spending to the country's territorial defense during its early years in government, prioritizing economic and social development. The party only established
10318-446: The decade was marred by scandals. One of the most notable scandals involved the irregular sale of tland , which led to the resignations of Vice-president Peter Mmusi and the then Minister of Agriculture, Daniel Kwelagobe , both high-ranking officials in the former ruling party. The 1994 Botswana general election took place against a backdrop of economic complexity and increasing demands for transparency in electoral administration by
10452-439: The defense of liberal democracy , a negotiated transition to independence and an economic development plan for the heavily neglected and impoverished colony. The BDP's discourse was seen as much more moderate compared to its African socialist opponents who had a more aggressive rhetoric, which several voters perceived as unrealistic. The elections took place on the 1st of March and the BDP won an overwhelming victory with 80% of
10586-539: The diamond industry, a persistent drought and a resulting famine. The government had to address these challenges through aggressive food aid policies. The BDP government also faced increasing pressure from Apartheid South Africa, which resulted in the military intervention of the South African Defence Force in Gaborone on June 1985, directed against members of the ANC stationed in the country due to
10720-481: The election in court. Ultimately, his appeal was dismissed. The 2024 Botswana general election saw the BDP resoundingly defeated by the opposition UDC. In one of the worst defeats of a governing party in the Commonwealth, the BDP lost 90% of its parliamentary representation and was reduced to a rump of four seats out of 61, making it the smallest of the four factions represented in the National Assembly. The BDP
10854-555: The first bipartisan negotiations in post-independence Botswana. The reforms implemented included the creation of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), lowering the voting age from 21 to 18, allowing voting abroad and setting a ten-year limit (equivalent to two terms) on the presidency. The BDP also adopted a series of internal reforms, including a primary election system known as " buleladitswe ", ( lit. ' 'set them free' ' ) which brought
10988-532: The first election under universal suffrage in the history of the country. The BDP benefited from extensive control over the central territory of the country guaranteed by Khama's prestige as chief of the Ngwato tribe , as well as the growing internal conflicts faced by the BPP, which was mired in inter-ethnic struggles that encouraged the formation of a new party, the Botswana Independence Party (BIP). Khama and Masire focused their speeches on
11122-408: The first elections under universal suffrage in 1965 , leading Khama to become the first president of the new state, a position he held until his death in 1980. The BDP enjoyed virtually unquestioned hegemony for the next three decades, benefiting from the relative success of its economic policy and its pragmatic management of the relations between the different tribal groups of the country. Beginning in
11256-408: The first instance in the country's electoral history where the party failed to secure over 50% of the popular vote or more than two-thirds of the elected seats. In fact, if the UDC and the BCP were united, they would have won the election. The outcome was attributed to the dissatisfaction of young urban voters with Khama's economic management, while rural voters remained loyal to the party, especially in
11390-428: The former Oftel (Office of Telecommunications) use this style. New York City has various neighborhoods named by syllabic abbreviation, such as Tribeca (Triangle below Canal Street) and SoHo (South of Houston Street). This usage has spread into other American cities, giving SoMa , San Francisco (South of Market) and LoDo, Denver (Lower Downtown), amongst others. Chicago -based electric service provider ComEd
11524-411: The four achieved in 1984. The 1990s marked the end of the economic boom in Botswana that had characterized the previous three decades. Between 1989 and 1993, Botswana transitioned from a GDP growth rate exceeding 13% to experiencing negative growth for the first time in its independent history. Unemployment and poverty increased as a consequence of reduced demand for diamonds, copper and nickel, driven by
11658-417: The global recession. The country continued to experience growing urbanization, creating an urban class less influenced by tribal divisions and a more vocal, politicized population. Informal settlements began to emerge in urban areas like Gaborone , Francistown , Selebi-Phikwe and Lobatse . These rapid demographic changes, combined with the worsening economic and social situation, eroded popular support for
11792-456: The globally popular term OK generally credited as a remnant of its influence. Over the years, however, the lack of convention in some style guides has made it difficult to determine which two-word abbreviations should be abbreviated with periods and which should not. This question is considered below. Widespread use of electronic communication through mobile phones and the Internet during
11926-415: The idea of national self-determination and the creation of nation states . The ideology emerged under European colonial rule during the 19th and 20th centuries and was loosely inspired by nationalist ideas from Europe. Originally, African nationalism was based on demands for self-determination and played an important role in forcing the process of decolonisation of Africa ( c. 1957–66). However,
12060-485: The influential Botswana Federation of Public Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU), which staged the longest public service strike in the country's history in 2011 and a substantial faction within the BDP that disapproved of these policies. Motswaledi's faction finally split from the BDP in mid-2010, forming the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD), the first significant split experienced by the BDP in its history. In 2012,
12194-449: The internal conflicts that had plagued the ruling party throughout the previous decade. Upon taking office, Khama stepped down as the BDP leader and Kwelagobe, belonging to a rival faction and a leader of the party's old guard, was selected to replace him. The Barata-Phathi faction, including Gomolemo Motswaledi , alongside Kwelagobe, criticized Khama's leadership during his early months in office, accusing him of exceeding his prerogatives as
12328-471: The introduction of universal suffrage in 1965 until 2024. Under its long government, elections in Botswana were considered credible and transparent by the international community. From independence until the late 2010s, the BDP was particularly strong in the Central District , Seretse Khama's home region and the territory of the Ngwato tribe , while it became weak in urban areas and in the North-West and
12462-469: The larger male-dominated liberation organizations, as through the African National Congress (ANC). Nevertheless, in 1943, the ANC adopted a new constitution which included a new position for women to become full members of the national movement. Women also formed their own national organisations, such as the Federation of South African Women in 1954, which boasted a membership of 230,000 women. Though at
12596-430: The late 1980s, the country's increasing urbanization and the emergence of a middle class less influenced by tribal relations weakened the BDP's support base and strengthened its opponents, while a growing economic slowdown in the 1990s caused the party to suffer harsh electoral setbacks, leading it to implement numerous reforms in an attempt to avoid exacerbating political polarization in the country. In subsequent elections,
12730-412: The leadership change to occur a year and a half before the regular general elections, giving the incumbent president a prolonged interim period to reinforce their public image and avoid the wear and tear of the outgoing administration. Mogae's presidency focused on addressing poverty, unemployment and the spread of HIV/AIDS , which affected a significant portion of Botswana's population. In the same year,
12864-447: The market economy, the welfare state and multiparty democracy. The party's historical voter base has been tribal communities, which has, in turn, led the BDP to mirror their conservative views. The internal democratization of the party since 1998 has since increased its ideological breadth. The BDP was the third political party founded in the British protectorate of Bechuanaland , present-day Botswana. In this region, political development
12998-432: The nationalist struggle. A minority of women were incorporated and affiliated into male-dominated national organisations. Founded by women in 1960, The National Council of Sierra Leone was to become, in 1968, the women's section of the ruling All People's Congress and dedicated primarily to the vigorous support of head of state, President Stevens. Women activists extended and conveyed militant behaviours. Nancy Dolly Steele
13132-601: The non-elite population. Market women in coastal Nigeria and Guinea also used their networks to convey anti-government information. ‘Ordinary’ women themselves had transformed "traditional" methods for networking and expressing disapproval against individuals, into mechanisms for challenging and unsettling the local colonial administration. However, although these women contributed to African nationalist politics, they had limited impact as their strategies were concerned with shaming, retaliation, restitution and compensation, and were not directly about radical transformation. This problem
13266-409: The opposition discredited due to its association with Khama and a reinvigorated leadership, the BDP achieved a comprehensive victory, securing 53% of the vote and 38 of the 57 elected seats. The election brought about a significant shift in Botswana's electoral politics. The BDP experienced substantial losses in the northern part of the country due to the inclusion of the BCP in the UDC. Furthermore, in
13400-434: The opposition. The BDP suffered a significant decline and only won 26 of the 39 contested seats. The BNF made gains by capitalizing on urban discontent and even penetrated the party's rural base for the first time, achieving important advances in local elections. It was the first time that the BDP faced than seven opposition MPs. After the elections, the political climate in Botswana deteriorated. The supplementary election in
13534-410: The party began criticizing Khama's autocratic tendencies, the president insisted that he was only instilling greater discipline within the BDP. Khama's initial year in power was characterized by his decision to lead the BDP to adopt a hardline stance against the ZANU–PF regime, led by Robert Mugabe since 1980, during the country's violent elections . Several months later, Kwelagobe and Khama reached
13668-433: The passivity of the Botswana armed forces. The second half of the 1980s witnessed a significant decline in electoral support for the BDP as Botswana's population underwent urbanization, foreshadowing the considerable decline it would experience in the following decade. However, during the first fourteen years after Khama's death, this decline was not accompanied by a loss of parliamentary power. The 1989 general election saw
13802-642: The period have also been criticised for their continued use of ideas and policies associated with colonial states. In particular, nationalists usually attempted to preserve national frontiers created arbitrarily under colonial rule after independence and create a national sense of national identity among the heterogeneous populations inside them. African nationalism exists in an uneasy relationship with tribalism and sub-national ethnic nationalism which differ in their conceptions of political allegiance. Many Africans distinguish between their ethnic and national identities. Some nationalists have argued that tribes were
13936-487: The period is usually included regardless of whether or not it is a contraction, e.g. Dr. or Mrs. . In some cases, periods are optional, as in either US or U.S. for United States , EU or E.U. for European Union , and UN or U.N. for United Nations . There are some house styles, however—American ones included—that remove the periods from almost all abbreviations. For example: Acronyms that were originally capitalized (with or without periods) but have since entered
14070-540: The political landscape during the colonial occupation. African nationalism in the colonial era was often framed purely in opposition to colonial rule and was therefore frequently unclear or contradictory about its other objectives. According to historian Robert I. Rotberg , African nationalism would not have emerged without colonialism. Its relation to Pan-Africanism was also ambiguous, with many nationalist leaders professing Pan-African loyalties but still refusing to commit to supranational unions . African nationalists of
14204-475: The poorest countries in the world to one of the fastest-growing economies. Since in Afrikaans, "dom krag" can be translated as "stupid power" or "power of the stupid," opponents used the term derogatorily to refer to the BDP. However, the word was reappropriated by the party itself and today, the word "domkrag" is synonymous with the BDP. The first political test for the BDP was the general election of 1965 ,
14338-483: The popular vote and an absolute majority of 28 out of 31 seats, against 14% of the popular vote and just 3 seats for the BPP. Two days later, Khama was sworn in as Prime Minister, becoming the first democratically elected head of government in Bechuanaland. The general elections were followed by local elections on 12 June 1966, just months before the end of the protectorate. The BDP also emerged victorious with 62% of
14472-419: The presence of African women as conscious political actors in African nationalism. Anne McClintock has stressed that "all nationalisms are gendered." Undoubtedly, women played a significant role in arousing national consciousness as well as elevating their own political and social position through African nationalism. It is with this in mind, that both feminism and the research of these women become critical to
14606-636: The public to disobey the laws of the land" and charged as political prisoners. ' The African National Congress (ANC) is a political party in South Africa . It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election resulted in Nelson Mandela being elected as President of South Africa . Founded on 8 January 1912 in Bloemfontein as
14740-525: The re-evaluation of the history of African nationalism. In 1943, a prominent organization called the African National Congress Women's League used its branches throughout the continent to build an international campaign. As leaders and activists, women participated in African nationalism through national organisations. The decade of the 1950s was a landmark because of the significant number of women who were politically involved in
14874-451: The region. At the time of its independence, Botswana was one of the world's poorest countries, even ranking below several African states. It possessed only 12 kilometers of paved road, 22 university graduates and 100 individuals with completed secondary education. The first years after independence were marked by the rapid development of a national infrastructure. The BDP aimed to implement an economic program that would transform Botswana into
15008-425: The rural sector. This included the construction of extensive infrastructure in remote regions, leading to a rapid surge in popular support for the party, even though the majority of the population remained politically apathetic. The 1974 Botswana general election demonstrated this support. The BDP secured the highest popular vote in its history with 77%. At the local level, it obtained a majority in all councils except
15142-835: The same lines, the Swiss Federal Railways' Transit Police—the Transportpolizei —are abbreviated as the TraPo . With the National Socialist German Workers' Party gaining power came a frenzy of government reorganisation, and with it a series of entirely new syllabic abbreviations. The single national police force amalgamated from the Schutzpolizeien of the various states became the OrPo ( Ordnungspolizei , "order police");
15276-481: The same way, women used music, dance and informal methods to convey their solidarity for African nationalism. The production of Tanganyikan nationalism in Tanzania can be seen as “woman’s work,” where women evoked, created and performed nationalism through their dances and songs. Equally, women were considered the best sloganeers, as traditional story-tellers and singers using ideas, images and phrases that appealed to
15410-401: The secret police) and VoPo for Volkspolizei . The phrase politisches Büro , which may be rendered literally as "office of politics" or idiomatically as "political party steering committee", became Politbüro . Syllabic abbreviations are not only used in politics, however. Many business names, trademarks, and service marks from across Germany are created on the same pattern: for
15544-556: The state KriPos together formed the "SiPo" ( Sicherheitspolizei , "security police"); and there was also the Gestapo ( Geheime Staatspolizei , "secret state police"). The new order of the German Democratic Republic in the east brought about a conscious denazification , but also a repudiation of earlier turns of phrase in favour of neologisms such as Stasi for Staatssicherheit ("state security",
15678-546: The style guides of The Chicago Manual of Style and the Associated Press . The U.S. government follows a style guide published by the U.S. Government Printing Office . The National Institute of Standards and Technology sets the style for abbreviations of units. Many British publications follow some of these guidelines in abbreviation: Writers often use shorthand to denote units of measure. Such shorthand can be an abbreviation, such as "in" for " inch " or can be
15812-971: The term abbreviation in loose parlance. In early times, abbreviations may have been common due to the effort involved in writing (many inscriptions were carved in stone) or to provide secrecy via obfuscation . Reduction of a word to a single letter was common in both Greek and Roman writing. In Roman inscriptions, "Words were commonly abbreviated by using the initial letter or letters of words, and most inscriptions have at least one abbreviation". However, "some could have more than one meaning, depending on their context. (For example, ⟨A⟩ can be an abbreviation for many words, such as ager , amicus , annus , as , Aulus , Aurelius , aurum , and avus .)" Many frequent abbreviations consisted of more than one letter: for example COS for consul and COSS for its nominative etc. plural consules . Abbreviations were frequently used in early English . Manuscripts of copies of
15946-441: The term "Domkrag" became more commonly used to refer to the BDP and its supporters. The name originated during the founding stage due to elders' difficulty in pronouncing the word "Democratic" in English. They used the word "Domkrag," which is Afrikaans for a jack used to lift heavy objects off the ground. This led the BDP to adopt the jack as its party symbol, symbolically equating it with its role in "lifting Botswana" from one of
16080-501: The term refers to a broad range of different ideological and political movements and should not be confused with Pan-Africanism which may seek the federation of many or all nation states in Africa. Nationalist ideas in Africa emerged during the mid-19th century among the emerging black middle classes in West Africa . Early nationalists hoped to overcome ethnic fragmentation by creating nation-states . In its earliest period, it
16214-468: The time of Tanzanian independence. Her legacy as a leader, speaker, organiser and activist is testimony to the pivotal role played by many uneducated women in spreading a national consciousness, a political awareness and securing independence from British rule in Tanzania. Whilst some female-oriented initiatives may have been conceived and presented to women by male party-leaders, others were clearly created by women themselves. These women used nationalism as
16348-452: The time women viewed themselves primarily as mothers and wives, the act of their joining in political organisations illustrated a kind of feminist consciousness. Women were fundamental nationalist leaders in their own right. Under the inspiration of Bibi Titi Mohammed , a former singer in Dar es Salaam who became a Tanganyikan nationalist, Tanzanian women were organised into a Women's Section of
16482-516: The vocabulary as generic words are no longer written with capital letters nor with any periods. Examples are sonar , radar , lidar , laser , snafu , and scuba . When an abbreviation appears at the end of a sentence, only one period is used: The capital of the United States is Washington, D.C. In the past, some initialisms were styled with a period after each letter and a space between each pair. For example, U. S. , but today this
16616-512: The votes and secured 122 out of 141 members in the local government councils. Bechuanaland gained independence as the Republic of Botswana on 30 September, 1966. Following transitional agreements between the authorities elected in 1965 and the UK government at the time, Khama assumed the role of President of Botswana , with Masire serving as vice-president and the legislative council transformed into
16750-549: The welfare state, combined with its mixed economic policies, traditionalism and clear rejection of leftist or Marxist ideologies, have led foreign analysts to sometimes characterize the BDP as a proponent of " paternalistic conservatism ". The BDP is relatively conservative on social issues, primarily influenced by the fact that Botswana is predominantly a Protestant Christian nation. However, some party members have expressed liberal viewpoints on certain sensitive topics, including LGBT rights. The BDP has maintained its support for
16884-464: The words in a typical SMS message are abbreviated. More recently Twitter, a popular social networking service , began driving abbreviation use with 140 character message limits. In HTML , abbreviations can be annotated using < abbr title = "Meaning of the abbreviation." > abbreviation </ abbr > to reveal its meaning by hovering the cursor . In modern English, there are multiple conventions for abbreviation, and there
17018-480: Was a reflection of the extent to which most African women had already been marginalized politically, economically and educationally under colonial regimes in Africa. In the Gambia , one of the prominent Gambian nationalists and Pan-Africanists during the colonial era was Alieu Ebrima Cham Joof . From the 1950s up to Gambia's independence , Cham Joof (as he is commonly referred to), held a series of campaigns against
17152-462: Was decimated despite finishing with the second-highest national vote share (at 30%). Due to the nature of the first-past-the-post system, which awards power solely on the basis of seats won, the geographic dispersion of the BDP's support base proved electorally inefficient. Its votes were distributed evenly across the country, and were not concentrated in enough areas to secure a sufficient number of constituencies. This vote-spread phenomenon, often termed
17286-668: Was inspired by African-American and Afro-Caribbean intellectuals from the Back-to-Africa movement who imported nationalist ideals current in Europe and the Americas at the time. The early African nationalists were elitist and believed in the supremacy of Western culture but sought a greater role for themselves in political decision-making. They rejected African traditional religions and tribalism as "primitive" and embraced western ideas of Christianity , modernity , and
17420-487: Was much more gradual and slow, yet also more peaceful than in other neighboring African countries. An expansion of British central authority and the evolution of tribal government resulted in the establishment of two consultative councils in 1920 to represent Africans and Europeans. The African Council comprised the eight chiefs of the Tswana tribes and some elected members. An European-African Advisory Council formed in 1951 and
17554-478: Was symptomatic of an attempt by people manually reproducing academic texts to reduce the copy time. Mastɔ subwardenɔ y ɔmēde me to you. And wherɔ y wrot to you the last wyke that y trouyde itt good to differrɔ thelectionɔ ovɔ to quīdenaɔ tinitatis y have be thougħt me synɔ that itt woll be thenɔ a bowte mydsomɔ. In the Early Modern English period, between the 15th and 17th centuries, the thorn Þ
17688-618: Was the first mass party in the country and the first to demand total independence from the colony. However, by the mid-1960s, a series of internal struggles and conflicts between the country's different ethnic groups had affected its political strength. After a series of meetings, the "Bechuanaland Democratic Party" was established in November 1961 in Lobatse by a group of members of the African Consultative Council,
17822-586: Was the organizing secretary and co-founder of the Congress, and has been noted for her militant political and nationalist activities. In the same way, throughout Africa, the influence of trade union movements, in particular, became the spawning ground for women organisers as such. South African women, for instance, emerged as primary catalysts for protests against the Apartheid regime. These women first participated in resistance movements through women's branches of
17956-451: Was used for th , as in Þ ('the'). In modern times, ⟨Þ⟩ was often used (in the form ⟨y⟩ ) for promotional reasons, as in Y Olde Tea Shoppe . During the growth of philological linguistic theory in academic Britain, abbreviating became very fashionable. Likewise, a century earlier in Boston , a fad of abbreviation started that swept the United States, with
#738261