South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) leader Netumbo Nandi Ndaitwa has been elected as the new President of Namibia. 72-year-old Nandi Ndaitwa is currently the Vice President of Namibia. If she takes office, she will be the first woman president in the country's history.
Reuters reported this information from the results published by the Election Commission of the country last Tuesday. His victory would extend SWAPO's 34-year reign. The party has been in power since independence in 1990.
Nandi-Ndaitwa received about 57 percent of the total valid votes in the election. Candidates needed more than 50 percent of the vote to win the presidency. “The Namibian people have voted for peace and stability,” he said after winning.
Nandi Ndaitwa joined SWAPO during the independence struggle in the 1960s and held various important positions during that time, including Minister of Foreign Affairs. His main rival was Panduleni Itula of the IPC (Independent Patriots for Change) party. who finished second with 26 percent of the vote.
Meanwhile, SWAPO also won a majority in the Namibian parliamentary elections. The party won 51 of the 96 elected seats. IPC will be the main opposition party with 20 seats.
However, the IPC has announced to challenge the results in court terming the election process as 'flawed'.
Although the polls were held on November 27, the results were delayed due to technical glitches. Due to the shortage of ballot papers in some areas, the polling time was also extended.
Political analysts said that SWAPO's victory was not certain due to unemployment and discrimination. But the party's strong base in rural areas and the loyalty of older voters to the freedom struggle made their victory easier.
Analyst Raquel Andreas said, 'Experienced statesman Nandi Ndaitwa has united various groups. He is free from corruption charges. He has been at the helm of Namibia since independence and has deep knowledge of how to run the country.'
