Namibia on course to elect first female president

By Nyasha Nyaungwa

The candidate from Namibia's ruling SWAPO party, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, was on course to become the southern African country's first female leader by winning a presidential election last week, electoral commission results showed on Tuesday.

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

At 1545 GMT, the electoral commission's online portal showed Nandi-Ndaitwah was leading the presidential race with 58.1% of the vote after results from 91.8% of constituencies had been declared.

Her nearest challenger, Panduleni Itula, had 25.4% of the vote. Nandi-Ndaitwah needs to secure more than 50% to avoid a second round of voting.

Namibians voted separately for the National Assembly. SWAPO was leading the parliamentary race with 52.68% of the votes counted so far.

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

Observers have generally deemed previous elections in Namibia to be free and fair.

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.

Nandi-Ndaitwah joined SWAPO in the 1960s and has held numerous senior roles including foreign minister.