Mulopo Siseho
In Namibia’s 34 years of independence, the elections of 2024 will be the most competitive. The opposition political leaders, filled with high expectations, have prepared themselves and are ready to dance. win the upcoming presidential elections. The past South African 2024 elections, The ANC was baffled, which boosted the confidence of Namibian opposition leaders. Though safe, calling the previous elections uncompetitive is misguided. The recent elections in South Africa have sparked the high hopes of current opposition leaders. This has motivated them to vigorously compete for power.
The same election might have also put the ruling party under pressure, which makes the political landscape more competitive. Job Amupanda of the Affirmative Repositioning seeks to “bumuna them,” which means to shock them; he means the current ruling party. Recently, the Landless People’s Movement teamed up with renowned activist Saddam Amushelelo, who is known for gathering young people and advocating for the underprivileged.
The Landless People’s Movement, which is firmly rooted in the southern parts of the country, is expanding and gaining support from other parts of the country. Lukato Lukato of the National Development Party is reaching heights and amplifying well in the Zambezi Region. The renowned McHenry Venaani of the official opposition party, the Popular Democratic Movement, stands firm, as the party is in full preparation for the upcoming election. Lest we forget, Dr. Panduleni Itula, ‘the ghost’, appeared from nowhere and won over the hearts and minds of many Namibians with his brilliant and innovative ideologies. His appearance, we can say, is a game changer; he was able to win 29,37% in the 2019 election as an independent candidate.
Other political parties are also involved in the race and are hopeful of winning. One insightful observation is that the majority of political campaigns target the youth. The youth have more power in our societies and also have influence over other age groups, which makes them very attractive for political campaigns. Youth make up 71.1% of the Namibian population, and youth unemployment is one of the most prominent problems in Namibia that most politicians would want to tackle.
Well then, is this political competition good for Namibian democracy?
Contrary to what past African authoritarian leaders offered as an excuse for their rule, competitive elections, in which different parties or candidates compete for power, serve as the foundation of a democratic system. This political competition can be beneficial for Namibia because the close scrutiny pushes politicians to act in the best interests of their citizens, knowing that refusing to do so might result in their losing seats in future elections. This plurality allows people to select representatives who share their priorities and beliefs, which improves democratic legitimacy.
This also forces creativity out of the politicians to create policies for their manifestos that are different and beneficial for Namibians. It raises the possibility of a more coalitional government, which would improve government checks and balances. This would then improve accountability, encourage policy innovation, and lessen the corruption scandals in government, as parties like AR are portrayed as being against corruption.
All in all, these elections will be very competitive. Political leaders are preparing again and again with confidence. This is a good thing for Namibian democracy, just like any other competition.
MAY THE BEST MAN WIN.
Mulopo Siseho is a recent Political Science graduate from the University of Namibia. You can contact him via his email mmulopo23@gmail.com.
