72-year-old Nandi-Ndaitwah elected as first female president in Namibia

A 72-year-old Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has been elected Namibia’s president and will be the country’s first female leader, results released by the country’s electoral commission show.

Nandi-Ndatiwah won with 57 percent of the vote, according to official results declared on Tuesday by the electoral commission, flouting predictions that she might be forced into a run-off.

“The Namibian nation has voted for peace and stability,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said after being declared president-elect.

Her win cements her governing South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) party’s 34-year hold on power since independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990 a contested outcome.

Opposition rejects poll

Opposition parties have rejected the results after the election was marred by technical problems, including shortages of ballot papers and other issues, causing election officials to extend voting until Saturday. Long queues meant that some voters gave up on the first day of voting after waiting for up to 12 hours.

The opposition parties say the extension was illegal and have pledged to challenge the results in court.

An organisation of southern African human rights lawyers serving as election monitors said the delays at the ballot box were intentional and widespread.

The Electoral Commission of Namibia admitted to failures in the organisation of the vote, including a shortage of ballot papers and the overheating of electronic tablets used to register voters.

Of the nearly 1.5 million registered voters in the sparsely populated country, nearly 77 per cent had cast ballots in the presidential vote, it said Tuesday.

The election was seen as a key test for SWAPO after other liberation-era movements in the region had lost favour with young voters.

What you should know

Namibia is a major uranium and diamond exporter, but analysts say not many of its nearly three million people have benefited from that wealth in terms of improved infrastructure and job opportunities.

Unemployment among 15- to 34-year-olds is estimated at 46 per cent, according to the latest official figures from 2018, which is almost triple the national average.

Nandi-Ndaitwah, a SWAPO stalwart known by her initials NNN, will be among the few women leaders on the continent.

The conservative daughter of an Anglican pastor, she became vice president in February this year.

Recognisable by her gold-framed glasses, she has tried to vaunt the wisdom of her years during the campaign, when she was often wearing blue, red, and green, the colours of her party, and of the national flag.

Among her election promises, NNN said she intends to “create jobs by attracting investments using economic diplomacy.”