Namibia‘s ruling SWAPO party has been proclaimed the winner of last week’s elections, allowing Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah to become the first Namibian female president.
The electoral commission declared on Tuesday that Nandi-Ndaitwah received more than 57% of the vote, with the major opposition candidate, Panduleni Itula of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), receiving 25.5%.
The victory maintains SWAPO’s dominance since Namibia’s independence in 1990, although the election has been controversial. The IPC has rejected the results, claiming “multitudes of irregularities.”
Panduleni Itula, 67, stated on Saturday, November 30, that his party will not recognise the election results. “The IPC shall not recognise the outcome of that election,” he declared, vowing to dispute the results through Namibia’s electoral systems.
The November 27 election had serious logistical and technological challenges, such as a scarcity of ballot sheets and overheating smart tablets used for voter registration. These issues resulted in lengthy delays, with some voters fleeing polling places after up to 12 hours.
The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) confessed to organisational shortcomings but said that over 77% of registered voters cast ballots. Observers from a group of southern African human rights lawyers stated the delays were intentional and pervasive.
The election comes at a critical time for SWAPO, as other liberation-era parties in the area, including South Africa’s African National Congress and Botswana’s Democratic Party, are losing popularity.
Namibia, a major uranium and diamond exporter, has a youth unemployment rate of 46 percent, about three times the national average.
Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72, a veteran SWAPO politician known by her initials NNN, has become one of Africa’s few female leaders. She ran on a “economic diplomacy” platform and vowed to generate jobs by courting investment.
Nandi-Ndaitwah, identifiable by her gold-framed glasses and frequent appearances in the blue, red, and green colours of SWAPO and the national flag, emphasised her experience and wisdom throughout the campaign.
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As the conservative daughter of an Anglican minister and a party stalwart, her rise represents a watershed moment for Namibia and a test of SWAPO’s capacity to maintain its power in the face of mounting unhappiness among younger voters.
