Namibia’s ruling SWAPO party was declared the winner of last week’s contested elections, marking the country’s first woman president following a disputed vote that the main opposition has already rejected.
Vice-President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah secured just over 57 percent of the vote, while the candidate from the main opposition, Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), garnered 25.5 percent, according to the election authority.
At 72, Nandi-Ndaitwah becomes the first woman to lead the mineral-rich southern African nation, which has been governed by the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) since independence in 1990.
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The November 27 election was marred by delays, including a shortage of ballot papers, resulting in long queues. Voting was extended twice due to logistical and technical issues, with some voters waiting up to 12 hours on the first day.
Many eventually gave up. The IPC has claimed that these delays were a deliberate attempt to discourage voters and has refused to accept the election results.
IPC presidential candidate Panduleni Itula, 67, denounced the process as flawed, citing a “multitude of irregularities,” and declared that the IPC would not recognize the election’s outcome.
He added that the party would seek to nullify the election through legal means.
An organization of southern African human rights lawyers monitoring the election described the delays at polling stations as intentional and widespread.
The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) acknowledged failures in organizing the vote, including the shortage of ballot papers and overheating electronic tablets used for voter registration.
Nearly 77 percent of the 1.5 million registered voters in Namibia participated in the presidential election, according to the ECN.
The election was seen as a crucial test for SWAPO, which has faced declining support from younger voters.
In the past year, other liberation-era parties in the region have lost influence, with South Africa’s African National Congress losing its parliamentary majority and Botswana’s Democratic Party being ousted after nearly 60 years in power.
Namibia, a major exporter of uranium and diamonds, has seen limited benefits from its wealth in terms of improved infrastructure and job opportunities.
Unemployment among 15- to 34-year-olds stands at around 46 percent, almost three times the national average, according to 2018 official figures.
Nandi-Ndaitwah, known by her initials NNN, is one of the few women leaders on the African continent.
A staunch SWAPO member and the daughter of an Anglican pastor, she became vice president earlier this year.
Recognizable by her gold-framed glasses, Nandi-Ndaitwah often campaigned in her party’s colors—blue, red, and green—symbolizing both SWAPO and the national flag.
Among her promises, she vowed to create jobs by attracting investments through economic diplomacy.
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