Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi (/mɔːkˈweɪtsi/; born 21 July 1961) is a Motswana politician who served as the fifth president of Botswana from 2018 to 2024.

However, an observation mission from the African Union reported that the elections were conducted transparently and met international standards.

Amidst the pandemic, Masisi ruled by decree from March 2020 to September 2021, despite protests from the public and the opposition party.

[1] In the 1980s, Masisi became a high school social studies teacher after graduating from the University of Botswana in 1984 in English and History.

He taught at Mmanaana Secondary School in 1984 in Moshupa village before moving on to the University of Botswana in 1987 as a curriculum development specialist.

[9] Masisi unsuccessfully sought the nomination of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) to stand in Moshupa constituency in the 2004 general election.

[16] The Masisi government has adopted and promoted market-oriented, liberal economic policies to diversify the economy away from its reliance on diamonds.

The 2019 Botswana elections were hotly contested, and the main opposition, the Umbrella for Democratic Change lodged a litany of court challenges alleging irregularities and electoral fraud.

[29] After the declaration, emergency powers allowed Masisi to rule by decree for a period of 18 months to September 2021, despite protests from some opposition parties.

[32] At the 2024 general elections, the Botswana Democratic Party lost its majority in the National Assembly for the first time in the country's history.

In 2019, he presented stools made from elephant feet to the national leaders of Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, a move that received some criticism from international media outlets.

[36][37][38] Masisi reversed the ban on elephant hunting put in place by his predecessor, and removed Botswana's "Shoot to Kill" anti-poaching policy.

[39] In 2002 Masisi married Neo Maswabi, an accountant who later worked for the United Nations in New York and in Addis Ababa.