Namibia elects first female president in historic vote

WINDHOEK - Namibia made history on Tuesday by electing the country's first female president, 72-year-old Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah from the ruling South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) party.

The announcement marks a significant milestone in Namibia's 2024 presidential and National Assembly elections. The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) Chairperson Elsie Nghikembua declared the groundbreaking victory on Tuesday evening, acknowledging the culmination of an election period that began on Nov 27.

However, due to disruptions on the first day of voting, the process was extended in some areas from Nov 29 or 30 to ensure that all eligible voters had the opportunity to participate.

Citizens turned out in large numbers to participate in the highly anticipated polls, with the ECN revealing that nearly 1.45 million eligible voters were registered, with presidential votes amounting to 1,099,582 and National Assembly votes at 1,092,685.

Nandi-Ndaitwah, who became the southwestern African nation's fifth president since independence in 1990, won by 57.31 percent, and was followed by her closest rival Panduleni Itula of the Independent Patriots for Change who amassed 25.50 percent.

In her acceptance speech, Nandi-Ndaitwah said she is happy to be able to "provide the nation with guidance on our developmental agenda and the strengthening of our institution".

"I would also like to thank those who have shown their love of their country by ensuring that peace and stability continue to grow, particularly in the process of our elections," she added.

"As I am accepting these results, I would say once again on behalf of the SWAPO Party, the Namibian nation has voted for peace and stability, you have voted for unity and diversity, natural resources beneficiation, and youth empowerment for sustainable development. And this you will do through economic transformation," she said.

Meanwhile, there are 104 members in Namibia's National Assembly, as per the country's constitution.

In the National Assembly elections held parallel to the presidential elections, President-elect Nandi-Ndaitwah's SWAPO Party won 51 seats, while Panduleni Itula of the Independent Patriots for Change party got 20 seats.

SWAPO has been Namibia's ruling party since the nation gained independence in 1990. In the 2019 elections, the late President Hage Geingob led SWAPO to victory, securing over 56 percent of the National Assembly voting.