Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah: Namibia's First Female President Elected Amid Controversy

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah of the ruling South West Africa People's Organisation (Swapo) has made history by becoming Namibia's first female president. The Electoral Commission of Namibia announced that she secured a decisive victory, garnering over 57% of the vote in last week's elections. Her closest challenger, Panduleni Itula of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), received 26%.

However, the election has not been without controversy. Due to logistical challenges, polling was extended by three days in some areas, sparking allegations of electoral malpractice. On Saturday, Itula announced that his party would not recognize the results, claiming the process was flawed.

In protest, most opposition parties boycotted the official results announcement held on Tuesday in the capital, Windhoek, as reported by The Namibian.

Following her victory, Nandi-Ndaitwah declared, "The Namibian nation has voted for peace and stability," according to Reuters. A seasoned politician, she is currently Swapo’s vice-president and has held various high-ranking government positions for over 25 years.

Her presidency marks a significant milestone, as she joins Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Hassan as one of only two female heads of state in Africa.

Despite the historic win, the IPC has vowed to challenge the election outcome in court. The party has urged voters who experienced difficulties casting their ballots to file official complaints with the police.

Itula, a charismatic figure and trained dentist, had previously shaken Swapo’s dominance during the 2019 presidential election, where the party’s vote share dropped to 56% from 87% in 2014.

Swapo has governed Namibia since its independence in 1990. The party played a crucial role in the country’s liberation struggle against apartheid South Africa. However, there were speculations that it might follow the path of other liberation movements in the region, such as South Africa’s African National Congress, which lost its outright parliamentary majority earlier this year, or Botswana’s Democratic Party, which was ousted after nearly six decades in power.