Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah elected Namibia’s first female president, extends SWAPO party’s 34 years in power

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah of Namibia’s ruling SWAPO party has been elected president and will be the country’s first female leader, results released by the country’s electoral commission showed on Tuesday.

Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72, is the current vice president. Her victory will extend SWAPO’s 34 years in power since it led Namibia to independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990.

She received roughly 57 per cent of valid votes in the presidential race, according to a breakdown given by the Electoral Commission of Namibia.

Nandi-Ndaitwah needed to secure more than 50 per cent of the votes to secure a win.

“The Namibian nation has voted for peace and stability,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said after being declared president-elect.

She joined SWAPO in the 1960s when it was fighting for independence and has served in numerous senior roles including foreign minister in the democratic era.

Her main challenger in this election was Panduleni Itula from the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) party, who came second with roughly 26 per cent of votes.

Namibians voted separately for the National Assembly. SWAPO won a majority there, securing 51 of the 96 elected seats. The IPC won 20 seats and will be the official opposition.

The IPC has said it will challenge the results in court, calling the electoral process “deeply flawed”.

The November 27 vote was marred by technical difficulties and ballot paper shortages, leading to a delay in results as voting was extended in some places.

Political analysts had said a SWAPO victory was uncertain due to growing frustration with high levels of unemployment and inequality, but that the party retained strong roots in rural areas and loyalty among older voters due to the national liberation struggle.

Analyst Rakkel Andreas said Nandi-Ndaitwah had managed to unite different factions within SWAPO and that her reputation had not been tarnished by corruption allegations, unlike other party members.

“She is a stateswoman. She has been in some form of leadership since we gained independence,” Andreas said. “She understands the system”.