Namibia has made history by electing its first female leader, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who won last week’s presidential election with 57% of the vote. This victory extends the ruling Swapo party’s 34-year dominance since the country gained independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990.
Following the announcement of the results, Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72, expressed that the Namibian people have chosen “peace and stability.” She previously served as vice-president and was promoted from foreign minister after the death of President Hage Geingob.
However, opposition parties have rejected the election results, citing technical issues such as ballot paper shortages that led to an extension of voting until Saturday. They claim this extension was illegal and plan to contest the results in court.
Panduleni Itula, 67, a former dentist who returned to Namibia in 2013, finished second with 25.5% of the vote, a decrease from the 29% he received in 2019. Nandi-Ndaitwah also surpassed her party’s performance, as Swapo garnered 53% of the parliamentary vote, down from 65% five years ago. Itula’s new party, the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), achieved 20% of the vote.
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Nandi-Ndaitwah is regarded as a reliable leader and a seasoned diplomat, untainted by the corruption scandals that have affected other Swapo members. Her victory contrasts with a trend in southern Africa, where incumbent liberation parties have faced backlash from younger voters. For instance, South Africa’s African National Congress lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since the end of apartheid, and in Botswana, the ruling party was ousted after decades in power.
South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa hailed “the beginning of a new era” in June as he was sworn in for a second full term as president after his weakened African National Congress (ANC) struck a hard-won government coalition deal to remain in power.
