Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah retains power for SWAPO and becomes Namibia’s first female president
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, candidate of the South West African People’s Organization (SWAPO), has become the first Namibian president in history after winning the elections on November 27, in which she won, with the 58% of the votes, to his main rival, Panduleni Itula (25.8%) of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC). There will be no political alternation, as has occurred in a surprising electoral year on the continent, in which opposition parties have defeated the rulers in Ghana, Botswana, Mauritius and Senegal. SWAPO, the former liberation movement that has held power in Namibia since independence in 1990, will continue to do so, although its support has declined and its representation in the National Assembly will fall from 63 to 51 seats. Nandi-Ndaitwah, who has obtained better results than her predecessor, Hage Geingob, five years ago, will take office as the first head of state on March 21, 2025, if there are no last-minute changes.
After the results were announced, several opposition parties denounced irregularities and challenged the elections. The vote was extended three days longer than planned at several tables due to technical problems and a lack of ballots, a decision considered by the IPC and the Landless Movement (LPM) to be illegal. “The IPC will not recognize the result of these elections,” Itula said after the vote. “We cannot call these elections, under any criteria, free, fair or legitimate.” At the time of going to press, the courts have agreed to let the IPC and the LPM review the number of votes cast and counted in each polling station, material that should be provided by the Electoral Commission.
Who is she and what is expected of Nandi-Ndaitwah? Popularly known as NNN, she was born 72 years ago in the Oshana region, in the north of the country, into a family with 12 siblings. The daughter of a reverend of the Anglican Church, she became interested in politics from a young age, joining SWAPO at the age of 14 during the fight for Namibia’s independence. A youth leader in the party, he studied at universities in the United Kingdom, graduating in Public Administration and Development, with master’s degrees in International Relations and Diplomatic Studies. The year of independence he entered the National Assembly. She was Minister of International Relations and Cooperation between 2012 and 2024. In February last year she was elected vice president after the death of President Hage Geingob. Considered upright and pragmatic, she is far from the corruption cases that have affected other members of her party. They say she has a strong Christian faith and a socially conservative disposition. She has also been described as a strong defender of women’s rights. “The nation has voted for peace and stability,” he declared when the results were known.
With three million inhabitants, a soil rich in minerals and considered one of the most stable democracies in the region, Namibia faces challenges such as high youth unemployment and growing inequality, problems to which NNN will have to respond during its mandate.
