Namibia elects Nandi-Ndaitwah as country’s first woman president

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72, won with 57 percent of the vote, flouting predictions that she mightiness beryllium forced into a run-off.

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has been elected Namibia’s president and volition beryllium the country’s archetypal pistillate leader, results released by the country’s electoral committee show.

The 72-year-old won with 57 percent of the vote, according to authoritative results declared connected Tuesday by the electoral commission, flouting predictions that she mightiness beryllium forced into a run-off.

“The Namibian federation has voted for bid and stability,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said aft being declared president-elect.

Her triumph cements her governing South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) party’s 34-year clasp connected powerfulness since independency from apartheid South Africa successful 1990 – a contested outcome.

Opposition parties person rejected the results aft the election was marred by technical problems, including shortages of ballot papers and different issues, causing predetermination officials to widen voting until Saturday. Long queues meant that immoderate voters gave up connected the archetypal time of voting aft waiting for up to 12 hours.

The absorption parties accidental the hold was amerciable and person pledged to situation the results successful court.

The campaigner for the main absorption Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), Panduleni Itula, trailed Nandi-Ndaitwah with 25.5 percent of the vote, according to the commission.

“The regularisation of instrumentality has been grossly violated and we cannot telephone these elections by immoderate means oregon measurement arsenic free, just and legitimate,” Itula said connected Saturday.

Nandi-Ndaitwah was promoted to vice president successful February aft President Hage Geingob died portion successful office.

While successful powerfulness for decades, SWAPO has disenchanted young voters owed to precocious younker unemployment rates and enduring inequalities.

She got her commencement successful authorities by taking portion successful the country’s underground independency question successful the 1970s. She returned from the UK to articulation parliament successful 1990 and went connected to service arsenic curate with respective portfolios implicit the years.