Blitz Bureau
WINDHOEK: Netumbo NandiNdaitwah has been elected Namibia’s President and will be the country’s first female leader. According to an Al Jazeera report, the 72-year-old won with 57 per cent of the vote, according to official results declared on December 3 by the electoral commission, flouting predictions that she might be forced into a run-off. “The Namibian nation has voted for peace and stability,” NandiNdaitwah said after being declared President-elect.
Her win cements her governing South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) party’s 34-year hold on power since independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990– a contested outcome.
Opposition parties have rejected the results after the election was marred by technical problems, including shortages of ballot papers and other issues, causing election officials to extend voting. Long queues meant that some voters gave up on the first day of voting after waiting for up to 12 hours.
The Opposition parties say the extension was illegal and have pledged to challenge the results in court. The candidate for the main opposition Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), Panduleni Itula, trailed Nandi-Ndaitwah with 25.5 percent of the vote, according to the commission.
“The rule of law has been grossly violated and we cannot call these elections by any means or measure as free, fair and legitimate,” Itula said.
Nandi-Ndaitwah was promoted to Vice-president in February after President Hage Geingob died while in office.
While in power for decades, SWAPO has disenchanted young voters due to high youth unemployment rates and enduring inequalities, said the Al Jazeera report.
