Botswana’s new president, Duma Boko, is confident and well-mannered and has the hallmarks of a highly trained human rights lawyer.
The 54-year-old’s thoughtful, flowing sentences speak to his legal training, first in Botswana and then at Harvard Law School in the US.
And although he was modest in his victory, the fact that he became president for a third time shows a determined ambition.
For more than fifty years, opposition politicians have dreamed of unseating Botswana’s powerful Democratic Party, but only Boko has made that a reality.
The landslide victory of his Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) party came as a surprise, even to Boko himself, who admitted to being shocked by the figures.
But, dressed in his signature dark blue suit, he did not rejoice or celebrate wildly in his first comments to the media on Friday as the magnitude of his victory became clear.
“I can only promise [the people] that I will do my very best. If I fail and make mistakes, I will look to them for guidance,” he said.
Boko captivated the country going through tough economic times with his promises of change, employment and government subsidies.
“People fell in love with him and this is the result,” journalist Innocent Selatlhwa told the BBC podcast Focus on Africa.
During his campaign, Boko asked his supporters at rallies to come closer and listen to their grievances in a way that made him attractive to young people, the journalist added. Boko was serious, but always involved and friendly.
He also ruled out becoming a member of parliament and put all his efforts into becoming president – a bold move, Selatlhwa said.
Born in 1969 in the country’s central district, in the small town of Mahalapye, Boko has always had a sense of respect, according to relatives.
“He was so fixated on doing the right thing. His sense of justice ran deep,” his aunt told a local newspaper.
During his school days, he was elected student council president.
According to political analyst Lesole Machacha, he emerged as one of the best lawyers in the country during his legal career.
Passionate about knowledge and education, Boko has always had a strong grasp on current affairs and issues in Botswana, Mr Machacha told the BBC.
“He is serious about fixing the country,” he added.
He became the leader of the Botswana National Front (BNF) in 2010, which used to have more “communist ideals,” Machaha said, but the party has since turned toward the center.
But frustrated by the years of opposition defeat, Boko pioneered the creation of an alliance of anti-government parties and thus the UDC was born.
He came under fire more than a decade ago when he described the academic staff at the University of Botswana as ‘useless’, despite being a former lecturer.
Many people took this as a criticism of the country’s education system.
When confronted by a journalist from the South African news channel eNCA, he said: “The truth hurts.”
Earlier this month, his wife Kaone Boko told Mmegi newspaper that her husband was stubbornly principled.
“He doesn’t back down from a fight; no matter how big the enemy is,” she said.
Perhaps a clue to how he managed to stay the course and dethrone one of Africa’s most successful political parties.
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