Namibia is on the brink of making history as it heads to the polls, with the possibility of electing its first-ever female president.
Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is a leading candidate in the upcoming presidential election, which is set to take place on Wednesday.
Approximately 1.4 million Namibians, representing nearly half of the population, have registered to vote.
Nandi-Ndaitwah, who is 72 years old, is a member of the ruling South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO).
Early results from special polls indicate that she and her party are currently in the lead. SWAPO has governed Namibia since its independence from South Africa’s apartheid regime in 1990.
However, the party’s dominance has waned in recent years, partly due to allegations of corruption and money laundering in the Namibian fishing industry, which led to the arrest of two cabinet ministers and the conviction of associated businessmen.
Political analysts believe that SWAPO must attract support from younger voters who are less connected to the party’s liberation struggle legacy. Nandi-Ndaitwah has pledged to address youth unemployment, which stands at 20%, by creating over 500,000 jobs within five years, backed by a proposed investment of 85 billion Namibian dollars ($4.7 billion). If elected, she would join the ranks of trailblazing African female leaders like Liberia’s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Malawi’s Joyce Banda.
This election comes at a time of significant political shifts across southern Africa, with other countries experiencing changes in their political landscapes. Namibia’s election results will be closely watched as they could mark a new chapter in the country’s history.
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