Namibia Poised to Elect First Female President as Election Count Continues
Namibia Poised to Elect First Female President as Election Count Continues
- Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is leading the race in the country’s disputed election, with the count still underway.
- Of the nearly 1.5 million registered voters, 73 percent cast their ballots.
- While Nandi-Ndaitwah is currently leading, she may still face a run-off if she does not secure more than 50 percent of the vote
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Namibia’s Vice President and presidential candidate for the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), is leading the race in the country’s disputed election, with the count still underway.
As of early Tuesday, with 65.57 percent of the vote tallied, Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72, was ahead with 54.82 percent, according to results posted on the election commission’s website.
Initial results had been expected a few days after the November 27 election, but delays arose due to technical issues and shortages of ballot papers, which led to an extension of voting by three days at several polling stations.
The main opposition party, Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), has already rejected the election process, claiming it to be a “sham.” IPC’s candidate, Panduleni Itula, is currently trailing with 28 percent of the vote.
Votes from 79 of the 121 constituencies have been counted so far, including almost all from the capital, Windhoek.
Of the nearly 1.5 million registered voters, 73 percent cast their ballots.
While Nandi-Ndaitwah is currently leading, she may still face a run-off if she does not secure more than 50 percent of the vote once all results are in later this week. If successful, she would make history as Namibia’s first female president.
