Politics in Namibia (really!)

We are currently travelling around the deserts and savannas of Namibia, and it so happens that there will be a general election while we are here.

Now, you'd be forgiven for knowing nothing about Namibian politics. It's a small country of 3 million people (well, actually a BIG country of 3 million people), and there's not much that happens here that impacts the larger world. In fact, for an African country, it has been remarkably stable and democratic since it gained independence from South Africa in 1990, and rarely makes news for anything.

The country has been ruled by SWAPO, the political party of the South West Africa People's Organization that led Namibia to independence back in the late 1980s. And, much like the ANC in South Africa, it is starting to get a bit stale and corrupt. 

When outgoing President Hage Geingob died of cancer in February of this year, his vice-president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah became SWAPO's presidential candidate. She is very much an old-school establishment candidate (she was a member of the SWAPO Central Committee back in the 1970s and 1980s), and she is still considered the front runner in the upcoming election.

But change is in the air. A relatively new party, going under the rather awkward moniker Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), is making inroads into SWAPO's traditional fiefdom. They made a good showing in the 2020 local elections, and party founder Panduleni Itula (ex-dentist and lawyer) finished in second place in the 2019 presidential elections. He is expected to do even better this year, and, judging by the posters we are seeing on the streets, that looks more than likely.

UPDATE

Well, so much for that. SWAPO candidate Ms. Nandi-Ndaitwah won handily, despite a palpable groundswell of public opinion in favour of change. 

Apparently, SWAPO (which also won a majority in the National Assembly) retained its strength in rural areas and among older voters who remember SWAPO's role in the independence struggle. 

In the end it wasn't even close, with SWAPO polling 57% in the presidential race and the second place IPC just 26%, although Itula and IPC are vowing that they will not accept the result because of rhe "deeply flawed" electoral process, marred by technical difficulties, ballot paper shortages, and delayed and extended voting in some areas. Don't hold your breath, though.