Namibia Elects First Female President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah

Namibia’s Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah of the ruling South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) party has been elected the first female president of the country.

The Southern African country’s electoral commission on Tuesday announced Nandi-Ndaitwah as the winner of the presidential election that was held on November 27.

The announcement of the result was delayed until Tuesday as voting was extended in some places due to technical glitches and ballot paper shortages.

According to the result by the electoral commission, 72-year-old Nandi-Ndaitwah polled 57 per cent of the votes, surpassing the 50 per cent requirement to win.

Her top contender, Panduleni Itula, of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), came second with roughly 26 per cent of votes.

In the National Assembly elections, Nandi-Ndaitwah-led SWAPO won a majority of seats, 51 of the 96, while the IPC won 20 seats.

“The Namibian nation has voted for peace and stability,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said after being declared president-elect of the country on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the IPC has vowed to challenge the election outcome in court, describing the process as “deeply flawed.”

Nandi-Ndaitwah’s victory now extends SWAPO’s 34-year rule in Namibia since it led the country to independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990.