Namibia extends voting again in close elections

WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA — 

Namibia extended voting for a 2nd clip Thursday with the absorption crying foul aft logistical failures prevented galore radical from casting their ballots successful the intimately fought election.

With the ruling enactment facing its strongest situation yet, absorption parties called for a halt to the ballot counting and said they had mislaid assurance successful the process.

The polls are a cardinal trial for the liberation-era South West Africa People's Organization enactment that has governed the mineral-rich state since independency 34 years ago. But SWAPO is being challenged by a younger procreation of voters frustrated by precocious unemployment and enduring inequalities.

About 1.5 cardinal radical successful the sparsely populated godforsaken federation were registered to ballot successful Wednesday's statesmanlike and legislative elections.

Many were inactive successful enactment erstwhile polls were scheduled to adjacent astatine 9 p.m. Wednesday, immoderate saying they were successful enactment for 12 hours.

The Electoral Commission of Namibia kept immoderate polling stations unfastened overnight into Thursday and allowed others to statesman ballot counting.

The disarray led to aggravated complaints from absorption parties, which suggested determination whitethorn person been an effort to bounds voting amid a beardown showing for the parties challenging SWAPO's grip connected power.

The Electoral Commission said it had decided to support 36 polling stations unfastened connected Friday and Saturday successful effect to the disapproval and to accommodate anyone who had not been capable to formed their ballot.

It acknowledged a scope of problems that held up voting, including a shortage of ballot papers due to the fact that of higher-than-expected turnout and the overheating of tablets utilized to verify voters.

In immoderate cases, mobile voting teams near areas with voters inactive successful the queues, it said.

The main absorption party, Independent Patriots for Change, led the calls for a halt successful the process.

"We person a crushed to judge that the [Electoral Commission] is deliberately suppressing voters and deliberately trying to frustrate voters from casting their vote," said IPC authoritative Christine Aochamus.

The smaller Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters absorption enactment said it wanted the ballot to annulled.

"This predetermination process was not free," said typical Saddam Amushelelo. "We are not going to judge the predetermination results."

The IPC's leader, erstwhile dentist and lawyer Panduleni Itula, is possibly the strongest challenger to SWAPO's candidate, Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who could go the archetypal pistillate to pb the country.

Analysts person said Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72, would beryllium forced into a 2nd circular if she does not triumph much than fractional of the votes.

The agelong queues were "a awesome that radical truly privation a change," said Ndumba Kamwanyah, lecturer successful the Department of Human Sciences astatine the University of Namibia.

"For me, it seems it's not bully quality for the incumbent party," helium told AFP.

Some voters had fixed up aft lasting successful enactment for hours successful the prima and earlier voting was archetypal extended connected Wednesday night, said Maria Nambahu, who waited 5 hours to formed her ballot.

"It should person been amended organized," the 25-year-old said. "That makes it unfair."

Edison Bernardo, a 25-year-old fiscal assistant, said determination should beryllium a rerun.

"People did not vote; galore near the line," helium told AFP. "If this is the existent election, determination volition decidedly beryllium riots."

Namibia is simply a large uranium and diamond exporter, but not galore of its astir 3 cardinal radical person benefited from that wealthiness successful presumption of improved infrastructure and occupation opportunities, analysts say.

Around 42% of Namibia's registered voters are younger than 35, the predetermination authorization says.