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Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah: Namibia elects first female president.
- Namibians have elected Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah of the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) as its first female president
- Nandi-Ndaitwah polled 57% of the votes cast to defeat her closest rival Panduleni Itula of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) scored 26%
- Itula said his party would not recognise the presidential election results alleging electoral malpractice
Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 7 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international events
Windhoek, Namibia – 72-year-old Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has emerged as the winner of the presidential election in Namibia.
The South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) candidate polled 57% of the votes cast to become Namibia’s first female president.
According to BBC, Nandi-Ndaitwah’s closest rival Panduleni Itula of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) scored 26% of the votes cast in last week’s disputed election.
Speaking after she was declared president-elect., Nandi-Ndaitwah, who is currently the vice president said:
“The Namibian nation has voted for peace and stability,”
Nandi-Ndaitwah’s victory cements SWAPO’s 34-year hold on power since independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990.
Itula, a trained dentist said his party would not recognise the results alleging electoral malpractice including shortages of ballot papers and other issues.
As reported by Aljazeera, election officials extended voting until Saturday, November 30.
It was gathered that some voters gave up on the first day of voting after waiting for up to 12 hours due to long queues.
The opposition parties said the extension was illegal and have pledged to challenge the results in court.
The results announcement was boycotted by most of the opposition parties in the capital, Windhoek on Tuesday evening, December 3.
Namibian President Hage Geingob is dead
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that Namibian President Hage Geingob died at 81, as confirmed by the presidency
Vice President Nangolo Mbumba will take over control of the country until the presidential and parliamentary election by the end of the year.
The presidency did not reveal the cause of Geingob’s death, but it was recalled that he travelled to the United States late last month for cancer treatment.
Source: Legit.ng