On March 31 1998 Sir Ketumile Masire retired as president, and the next day the vice-president, Festus Mogae, was inaugurated. His new cabinet was virtually identical to the old one; the only new minister was Lt-General Seretse Ian Khama, son of Botswana's first president (the late Sir Seretse Khama). Ian Khama had been commander of the Botswana Defence Force, and soon became vice-president.
Meanwhile, the same year, infighting in the opposition, the BNF, led to a split with dissident members forming the Botswana Congress Party (BCP). After 11 of the BNF's 13 deputies joined this, the BCP was declared the official opposition in mid-July 1998.