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This was an interesting year on the domestic political landscape. Despite the first split to rock the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which led to the formation of the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) in 2010, the BDP remained a major dominant force. In line with the principles that informed its foreign policy, Botswana continued to make its voice heard on the international stage on matters of democracy, good governance and human rights. Its economy, highly vulnerable to external shocks, showed strong signs of recovery from the global financial crisis. The country continued to be plagued by some social ills, particularly HIV/AIDS, which remained a priority concern.
The domestic political scene was dominated by the opposition parties’ cooperation talks that established the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) to challenge the domination of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP). The UDC was made up of the Botswana National Front (BNF), the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD; an off-shot of the BDP), and the Botswana Peoples Party (BPP). Consistent with its foreign policy principles, Botswana promoted good governance, democracy and human rights on the international stage. The country’s economy recorded some positive growth amid uncertainty in the global economic environment – once again demonstrating its volatility and the need to diversify to become less vulnerable as a result of mineral dependency. Unremitting social problems, which may pose a threat to the country’s stability, remained.