Namibia heads to the polls on Wednesday in an election that could see Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah become the country’s first female president, The Associated Press reports.
Over 1.4 million Namibians – roughly half the population – are registered to vote, choosing between candidates from 15 political parties vying for the presidency and seats in the National Assembly.
Early voting results, released earlier this month, indicate a strong lead for Nandi-Ndaitwah and her party, the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO). SWAPO has held power since Namibia’s independence from South Africa in 1990, but its dominance has been challenged in recent years. The party lost its two-thirds majority in the National Assembly in 2019, a setback largely attributed to allegations of corruption within the fishing industry.
Despite the party’s apparent lead in the polls, political analyst Henning Melber of the University of Pretoria and the University of the Free State cautions against complacency. He argues that SWAPO, and Nandi-Ndaitwah, must address concerns among younger voters who feel less connected to the party’s history of liberation struggles – a challenge faced by many former liberation movements across Africa
Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72, has centered her campaign on job creation, pledging to invest approximately 85 billion Namibian dollars ($4.7 billion) over five years to generate over 500,000 jobs. Critics have labeled this ambitious goal unrealistic. Her platform also addresses key issues affecting women, including reproductive rights, equal pay, and healthcare access.
SWAPO faces significant competition from the Independent Patriots for Change, led by Panduleni Itula, and the Affirmative Repositioning party, headed by Job Amupanda. All parties concluded their campaigns with final rallies this past weekend.
This Namibian election comes amidst a wave of political shifts in Southern Africa. South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) recently lost its parliamentary majority, and Botswana’s Democratic Party was unseated after a 58-year reign. Mauritius, known for its political stability, also saw a landslide victory for the opposition. In contrast, disputed election results in Mozambique have led to ongoing protests and violence, resulting in at least 30 deaths. The outcome of the Namibian election will be closely watched as another indicator of the evolving political landscape in the region.
