Namibia’s ruling party, SWAPO, came out on top in presidential and parliamentary elections on Tuesday, a week after voting was marred by technical problems.
SWAPO, which has governed the southern African country since it gained independence from South Africa in 1990, has fielded Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah as its presidential candidate. If victorious, she would become the first woman to rule Namibia.
Results were initially expected a few days after the November 27 vote, but voting was extended until November 29 and 30 in several polling stations, with some voters unable to vote on election day due to difficulties technical difficulties and a shortage of ballot papers.
At 0636 GMT, the electoral commission’s election portal indicated that Nandi-Ndaitwah was leading the presidential race with 54.82% of the vote after 65.57% of the votes had been counted.
To win the presidency, a candidate must receive more than 50% of the vote, otherwise a runoff is necessary.
Namibians vote separately for members of the National Assembly, and SWAPO leads the poll with 56.38% of the 66.39% of votes counted.
Opposition candidate Panduleni Itula and his Independent Patriots for Change came far behind, with 28.09% of the vote for the presidency and 19.23% of the vote for the National Assembly.
It was not clear when the final results would be announced.
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