It was a turning point in Africa when Namibia elected its first female President, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah. Namibia voted for both a new President and a very different National Assembly in the country’s seventh general election since independence from South Africa in 1990. Originally scheduled for November 27, 2024, in some regions voting was delayed until November 30 due to poor planning. Opposition parties rejected the move, boycotted the announcement and contested the vote in court. This discontent has (however) begun to diminish, given the widespread respect for the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN), and the disappointing performance of the ruling SWAPO party. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah of the ruling SWAPO party was declared the winner and became Namibia’s first female president. However, the Assembly elections saw SWAPO reduced to 51 seats, a majority of three. SWAPO, which found its anti-apartheid base in the 1990s, has never attracted young Namibian voters angry at high unemployment.
An ECN spokesperson advised me:
We are stuck in a mess. We enjoy great respect from all parties, but we conduct elections based on modern technology that does not work well in our country. We know this has been a disaster in 2019 when the machines are disappointing. We found something in the technical slips there. We had to delay voting in some areas until November 30. We are still stuck with the challenge of delivering modern, western elections where IT is not yet ready. When it fails, people are naturally suspicious… It’s a challenge.
Before the election, online disinformation campaigns were targeted at various people. These include false allegations such as Panduleni Itula as a “British agent”; another member of the opposition, Bernadus Swartbooi, was filmed making racist statements about Itula; and the inauguration of the President-elect. Different politicians have also accused Zimbabwe’s ZANU-PF of spreading false information.
A SWAPO spokesperson explained:
We see this election as a success in the inauguration of the first female president in our party, but it is also a sign that we must work hard to make this country better, develop the economy, create jobs, get investment, and increase prosperity…. We know that SWAPO cannot trade off the wish of 1989 but we know that Netumbo will make this country great again… and that better times are ahead for everyone.
I first came to Namibia in 1989 with a UN mission (UNTAG) that was established to help the country move towards independence. I saw the previous post-independence elections (2019 ) and then back to the elections in November 2024. After 1989 it was a period of great change as the new government introduced policies that were more egalitarian and progressive. That reform path has been blunted over the past decade by political intransigence and factional infighting. It was great back before the Covid outbreak, and the pace of change between UNTAG and 2019 was much better than now. Before UNTAG there was a position known as the UN Commissioner for Namibia (formerly the UN Commissioner for South West Africa.) The UNGA renamed the position UN Commissioner for Namibia in 1968 and Namibia gained independence on 21 March 1990. Among the Commissioners of – The UN seven (all denied a post by South Africa) were from Ireland, Seán MacBride and Martti Ahtisaari from Finland who in April 1989 took the lead. Successful completion of UNTAG for Namibia.
In the November 1989 election, 98% of registered voters turned out. The election was certified free and fair by the UN Special Representative, and SWAPO took 57% of the vote, just short of a two-thirds majority. The opposition Democratic Turnhalle Alliance received 29% of the vote. Although Namibia is governed by a multi-party democracy, the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO) has been in power since independence and the 2024 elections show all the evidence of popular discontent with their party’s tyranny.
Today, there are many areas of discontent, not least chronic poverty and high unemployment. Although protections for civil liberties are generally strong, ethnic minorities accuse the government of favoring the Ovambo majority in allocating resources. The nomadic San people experience extreme poverty and social stigma. Other human rights concerns include police brutality, and discrimination against women and LGBT+ people. In 2019, the late Hage Geingob of SWAPO was re-elected President with 56.3 percent of the vote. Although international observers considered the vote to be peaceful and the results credible, concerns were raised about electronic voting machines, long waiting times for voting, and delays in the counting and release of results. In 2024 these complaints were (mostly) addressed by the NEC, but SWAPO’s vote had dropped significantly.
The 2024 and 2019 polls have both been declared international observers, although concerns were raised about other aspects of the process. Controversy over the use of electronic machines dominated the 2019 election, and the replacement of paper ballots in 2024 largely addressed that concern. By 2024 a large number of small interests have revealed the historic dominance of SWAPO. In particular, opposition groups now control the key towns of Windhoek, Walvis Bay, and Swakopmund. While the common narrative is that this trend reflects SWAPO’s declining popularity and concern over increased funding, these highly competitive results also reflect the natural evolution of a healthy multi-party system. The opposition in Namibia, mostly SWAPO supporters, remains weak and underfunded. However, they have been building their strength and organizational reach. Moreover, the behavioral pattern is changing with the increasing share of urban and minority voters after independence. Their attitude towards SWAPO and its liberal credentials is at odds with the older generation of Namibians.
Namibia’s increasingly competitive multi-party system offers opportunities for innovation and democratic reform, creating incentives for all parties to demonstrate good governance. These developments may help Namibia overcome the failures of entrenched and often corrupt ruling parties. The 2024 election platform supported freedom of association and free speech overseen by the ECN which is widely seen as impartial. The Namibian judiciary is independent from political influence. In addition, Namibia is one of Africa’s most open places for media freedom, which contributes to government accountability.
The 2014 elections will likely consolidate previous gains in equality and have a major impact on Namibian society. The High Court of Namibia has granted Namibian foreign partners in same-sex marriages the same immigration rights as foreign partners in heterosexual marriages. The decision sparked an anti-LGBT+ backlash. Parliament then passed a law banning the recognition of same-sex marriages and clearly overrode the Supreme Court ruling. It is likely that the new President will implement a liberal egalitarian agenda. Namibia is committed to promoting greater equality of rights, political pluralism and broad public participation at local government levels. A Netumbo supporter also told me that the President-Elect really wants to ensure that all Namibians, “enjoy the right to organize different political parties or other competing political parties of their choice, in a political system free from unnecessary obstacles…”
These are goals desired by several international human rights organizations, including the UN. However, there are problems with the system that Netumbo is receiving. Although Namibian political parties may form and operate freely, and registration requirements are not strict, candidate registration fees and campaign financing still place an undue burden on minority parties. Parties holding parliamentary seats receive annual public support based on parliamentary representation, which continues to disproportionately benefit SWAPO. Minority groups do not have the financial resources or national membership base, which hinders their ability to gather support.
It remains to be seen how the new President can counter threats from his SWAPO colleagues. He has expressed a desire to fix the system, allowing the opposition to increase their financial support, but his SWAPO enemies will be pulling knives for him this time. Minority parties that have historically been seen as weak and fragmented are faring well in the November 2020 local elections, and are poised to do well in the next state-level elections. With the opposition ousting SWAPO from the two-thirds majority it has held since 2014, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah will not be seen as weak in keeping a minority, and must also retain SWAPO’s support to retain power.
Further Studies in E-International Relations
Source link
