Stefanus Nashama
As Namibia approaches the 27 November elections, the question for a rerun of the presidential race is critical. This is possible since more votes might be split amongst political parties and independent candidates- those who stood on their own.
The establishment of political parties such as the Independent Patriots for Change, IPC (a threat not only to SWAPO but other opposition political parties) and Affirmative Repositioning, AR, and independent candidates have brought yet another new political concept to the Namibian political system.
SWAPO was more on a safer chance of winning elections without the existence of IPC and AR. The establishment of the two political parties compromised both the Presidential and National Assembly race for SWAPO. This might result in no candidate obtaining more than 50 percent of the total votes to be cast as required by the Namibian Constitution.
Article 28 (b) of the Namibian Constitution states that: “If no person shall be elected as President unless he or she [has] received more than fifty (50) percent of the valid votes cast and [the necessary number of ballots shall be conducted until such result is reached] if no candidate received more than fifty (50) percent of the votes, a second ballot shall be conducted in which the two (2) candidates who have received the most votes in the previous ballot shall participate and the candidate who received the most votes in the second ballot shall be duly elected.”
Discussions surrounding the South African way of a coalition government has been ongoing now for a while. However, even if no candidate scores more than 50 percent, this won’t materialize as the Namibian Constitution declared a different approach, as outlined in the above-mentioned Article. This is the reason, there may be a rerun for the Presidential race after the November elections.
The earlier the better. It might be wise for the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) to have additional resources ready in case such an incident happens.
It is no secret that more voters have given up on many of the opposition political parties that have been in existence of political systems before the establishment of IPC and AR. This is due to their weakness to challenge the ruling party for more than 30 years of Independence.
IPC and AR bring another level of mind changes in the way people will decide to choose leaders in November, meaning another reason for more votes to be shared amongst the two political entities, bringing down the long-existing political parties, yet possibly not obtain the required winning percentages.
Politically, IPC and SWAPO earn more chances to win the November elections, yet, the two parties’ support is based-influenced by other political parties such as the Landless People’s Movement (LPM), Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) and AR. Furthermore, the deregistration of Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) and the Christian Democratic Voice (CDV) parties adds another political consequence.
It is also quite interesting to note that SWAPO has lost support after the party expelled Dr. Panduleni Itula, who has shaken the political system for the considerable first time in the history of Namibia when he stood as an independent candidate in the 2019 Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Additionally, some people are of the view that it is too early for Namibia to be headed by a female president. Female leaders are more likely to be suitable for the developed countries. It is also an African concept and culture that men are more naturally suitable for leadership of the highest level like heading the Presidency. All these analyses add to the rerun of the presidential race.
Let us be ready for whatever comes from the upcoming elections. Watch this space!
Stefanus Nashama holds a B.A. Honour Degree in Public Relations and Political Studies from the University of Namibia. The views expressed in this article are strictly his own and not from where he is employed.
