Partial results of the elections in Namibia are expected on Saturday, the last day of an undecided vote for the historic ruling party which was prolonged in some offices due to failures which deprived many voters from casting their ballot on Wednesday.
“The provisional results of the verified constituencies will be available following the close of the extension of the poll (scheduled for 9:00 p.m. local time, 7:00 p.m. GMT),” announced the head of operations of the electoral commission Petrus Shaama on Saturday.
Previously, the main opponent Panduleni Itula, who hopes to challenge Swapo in power since independence in 1990, is due to speak at a press briefing at 6:30 p.m. after days of criticism from oppositions over the conduct of the elections.
In the only polling station in the capital Windhoek where voting to elect the president and Parliament was extended, around 2,500 people had voted on Friday, according to the head of the station who expects a higher number on Saturday alone , given the crowds throughout the day.
Massive unemployment among young people, who represent a large part of the electorate – 42% of the approximately 1.5 million registered are under 35 – in this mineral-rich southern African country, has eliminated support for the Swapo.
On Saturday, the line with youthful faces progresses quickly. What does not suit Ndelitodo Ndeupandula, 27 years old: the young woman, who works during the week at the University of Namibia, improvised as a drinks seller after the scenes on Wednesday.
Some Namibians waited up to twelve hours in direct sunlight to be able to vote. She herself waited six hours in Katutura, the city’s main township.
On Saturday morning, Sielfriedt Gowaseb was able to vote in less than half an hour. “More offices would have been needed,” however, believes this 27-year-old lawyer. “Most Namibians don’t live in the city center.”
“If some cannot carry out their duty because of transport, it is quite unfair,” he continues.
Naita Hishoono, executive director of the NGO Namibian Institute for Democracy, also believes that “it would have been wise to open more than 36 polling stations. Each constituency should have at least one.”
The international observation missions having left Namibia, she is one of the few to monitor the end of this highly contested election.
Swapo candidate Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitah, in a position to become the country’s first female president, could be forced into an unprecedented second round.
clv/word/blb/emp
