Ester Mbathera, Mallex Shipanga and Hertta-Maria Amutenja
Namibia has entered a historic era with the election of Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, aged 72, as the country’s first female and fifth president.
Having served as the country’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, minister of information and broadcasting, minister of women and child welfare, minister of environment and tourism, deputy prime minister, minister of international relations and cooperation, and now as the vice president.
Nandi-Ndaitwah secured 638 560 votes from 121 constituencies.
In her acceptance speech, president-elect Nandi-Ndaitwah thanked Namibians for their trust and outlined her vision for the country.
She emphasised her commitment to driving sustainable development through economic transformation.
Reflecting on the journey ahead, she pledged to honour the promises she had made during her campaign.
“For sustainable development. And this we will do through economic transformation. It was in the same room in 2019 when our third president, our late president, Hage Geingob, may his soul rest in eternal peace, stood here and said, ‘Namibia, we heard you.’ Today, I am saying to the Namibian people, as we have been telling you throughout the campaign, for us in poverty and the team that I’m going to lead, we have made commitments, and I’m saying we will do what we have told you. Thank you for your trust and confidence,” she said.
Independent Patriots for Change leader Panduleni Itula came in second with 284 106 votes.
The youngest presidential contender, Job Amupanda of the Affirmative Repositioning (AR) movement, finished fifth.
Popular Democratic Movement leader McHenry Venaani secured third place with 55 422 votes, while the Landless People’s Movement leader Bernadus Swartbooi came in fourth with 51 160 votes.
Swapo also won the elections with 583 300 votes, securing 51 parliamentary seats.
The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), was relegated to fourth place with only five seats and lost its status as the official opposition in the National Assembly.
The IPC has been declared the official opposition and has secured 20 seats in the National Assembly.
The party members will go to parliament without Itula, who only contested in the presidential race.
The AR secured six seats and the LPM five seats.
AR leader Job Amupanda, who was the only other political party leader at the announcement of the final results, said his party would only occupy the parliamentary seats if they lost the court battle.
“We don’t agree with the Zanu-PF election results. We are aggrieved with these Zanu-PF results, but we do accept that we need to fight. We can either win it or lose it. We hope that there is a rerun, which is the best option for Namibia,” he said.
The biggest surprise was the entrance of Martin Lukato of the National Democratic Party (NDP) with 6 647 votes, securing one seat.
Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) chairperson Elsie Nghikembua described the 2024 elections as a historic moment for the country.
“As the chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Namibia, I stand before you filled with humility, deeply aware of the significance of this event and its place in our nation’s history,” she said.
Nghikembua acknowledged the complexities of conducting national elections, highlighting the challenges faced during the process.
NNN congratulated
Although Swapo won the election, party leaders and members who attended the final announcement session appeared unenthusiastic about the outcome.
Congratulatory messages, however, started pouring in from the rest of the continent.
“I stand ready to work with Namibia’s new president to continue fruitful bilateral ties for the shared prosperity and common interests of our two nations,” he said.
Member of the National Assembly of Kenya, Catherine Omanyo, described Nandi-Ndaitwah’s victory as an inspiration.
“Congratulations to H.E. Nandi-Ndaitwah on your victory as Namibia’s first female president. This accomplishment is a beacon of inspiration, empowering women across Africa to break barriers and pursue equality,” she said.
Special assistant to the president of Uganda on youth affairs, Daniel Obal also added his voice.
“A very hearty congratulations, excellency Meme Netumbo, upon a very spirited campaign and election as Namibia’s 5th president & Africa’s current 2nd sitting female president. Indeed, the Namibians voted well. May the Lord sustain your presidency,” he said.
Chairperson of the African Union, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, congratulated Nandi-Ndaitwah on her victory amid a difficult campaign.
“We congratulate Swapo and our sister Netumbo Nandi Ndaitwah on a successful election campaign. It was a difficult campaign, but your passion and hard work paid off,” she said.
Mayor of Livingstone, Constance Muleabai, congratulated Nandi-Ndaitwah, highlighting her success.
“I am delighted to extend warm congratulations to Her Excellency Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on her historic victory in the recent general elections in Namibia. Her success embodies the progress we strive for, and we have no doubt that she will continue to uplift and empower the people of Namibia,” she said.
African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Committee member Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma also commended Nandi-Ndaitwah and SWAPO for a successful election campaign.
“We congratulate SWAPO and our sister Netumbo Nandi Ndaitwah on a successful election campaign. It was a difficult campaign, but your passion and hard work paid off. We know you are even more passionate about the hard work that lies ahead,” said Zuma
