Namibia is gearing up for its most competitive election yet, with high stakes for the ruling SWAPO party. The election could see the first transfer of power since independence, depending on the outcome.
In what is expected to be the most competitive election yet for the ruling SWAPO party, which has governed the Southern African nation for 34 years, Namibia is gearing up for a pivotal vote. If SWAPO candidate Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah wins, she will become the country's first female president. A SWAPO loss would mark the first transition of power to a new party since Namibia gained independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990.
High unemployment, corruption allegations, and inequality have led to a decline in SWAPO's support, which fell to 56% in the 2019 presidential election from 87% in 2014. Among the 14 opposition candidates, Panduleni Itula, a former dentist and founder of the Independent Patriots for Change, is the frontrunner. Namibians vote separately for members of parliament and for the president, who needs more than 50% of votes to win. According to Rui Tyitende, a lecturer at the University of Namibia, the outcome will largely depend on the turnout of young voters, who make up more than half the electorate and are more likely to support the opposition. Namibia is currently led by interim president Nangolo Mbumba, who took over in February after the death of former president Hage Geingob but is not contesting the election. The country, an upper-middle-income economy, faces high levels of poverty and inequality, with a 2021 government report finding that 43% of the population were living in 'multidimensional poverty'
Namibia SWAPO Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah Panduleni Itula Elections Political Transition
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