Namibia opposition refuses to recognise poll result
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Namibia’s main opposition party has rejected the results of this week’s general election, citing significant logistical issues and irregularities in the voting process. Panduleni Itula, the presidential candidate for the opposition Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), accused the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) of “glaring and undeniable” electoral malpractices.
Itula was competing against Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, the flagbearer of the ruling South West Africa People’s Organisation (Swapo), which has been in power since Namibia gained independence in 1990. Nandi-Ndaitwah, who is seeking to become the country’s first female president, faces a challenge in maintaining Swapo’s dominance in the face of growing discontent among voters.
Voting began on Wednesday but was extended until Saturday in some areas due to problems with the availability of ballot papers and technical malfunctions. The situation has caused delays in the process and raised concerns about the integrity of the election. Namibia, a country of about three million people, has a vast geographical landscape, with half of the population being registered voters. This has made the distribution of resources, like ballot papers and election materials, a logistical challenge.
In a statement on Saturday, Itula declared that he would not recognize the election results. “We shall not, under any circumstances, recognize the outcome of the 2024 election… that is still, in our opinion, illegitimately continuing,” he said at a press conference, urging supporters to remain calm amid the turmoil. The IPC also vowed to take legal action and has encouraged citizens who were unable to vote due to the mismanagement of the election process to report the matter to the police.
As votes are still being counted, results from 10 of Namibia’s 121 constituencies have been announced. According to the preliminary count, Nandi-Ndaitwah has secured 48% of the vote, while Itula has garnered 30%. A candidate must receive more than half of the total votes in the first round to win outright. If no candidate reaches this threshold, a second-round run-off will be held.
Swapo, the liberation movement that fought against apartheid South Africa and led Namibia’s independence, has been the dominant political force in the country for over three decades. However, the party’s popularity has been on the decline in recent years. In the 2019 presidential election, Swapo’s share of the vote fell below 60% for the first time, signaling a loss of public support.
This decline in popularity is part of a broader trend among liberation movements in southern Africa. South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) lost its outright parliamentary majority in the 2024 election, and the Botswana Democratic Party, which had been in power for nearly 60 years, was ousted in last month’s election. These developments reflect widespread dissatisfaction with long-standing political elites and their ability to address pressing issues such as poverty, corruption, and unemployment.
In Namibia, the Swapo government has faced similar challenges, as its control over the economy and political institutions has been increasingly questioned by ordinary citizens. Many voters have expressed frustration over the country’s economic struggles, which include high unemployment rates, particularly among the youth. While Swapo remains the dominant political force, the rise of opposition parties such as the IPC shows that there is growing demand for political change.
Despite the election’s problems, the ECN has assured the public that it is working to resolve the issues and ensure that the final results are accurate and legitimate. However, the opposition’s refusal to accept the results and their plans for legal action have raised doubts about the credibility of the election process. It remains to be seen whether these concerns will be addressed in the coming days or whether the political climate in Namibia will become even more polarized.
As Namibia continues to count the votes and await the final results, tensions remain high. The opposition’s claims of electoral malpractice, coupled with Swapo’s declining popularity, have set the stage for a challenging political future. How the situation will unfold depends on how the ECN addresses the opposition’s concerns and whether any legal challenges to the election results are successful.
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