Elections in Namibia: voting day for a double vote

Namibians go to the polls this Wednesday in the double presidential and legislative elections.

The presidential election promises to be close even if the candidate of the South West African People’s Organization, Swapo, in power, came first in the votes of Namibians abroad and the military.

Aware of the situation on the ground, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72 years old and vice-president of Namibia, is mobilizing voters.

”By voting, you are ensuring your voice is heard and will impact your life and the lives of every Namibian and anyone visiting this country for the next five years. So come out and vote,” she told voters.

Swapo, in power since Namibia’s independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990, must be held to account. While the population no longer hides its thirst for change in a context plagued by unemployment among others.

”We are all here today because we want to make our voices heard. We want to exercise our democratic rights. If we don’t vote today, we won’t be able to complain about current affairs, politics and national policy later. So we have to vote today for the change we want to see tomorrow,” says Kennedy, a Namibian voter.

A new Namibia is what the former dentist and lawyer Panduleni Itula, candidate of the Independent Patriots Party (IPC), is proposing. This defector from the ruling party obtained more than 29% of the votes in the last election won by Hag Geingob, who died in February this year.