The outgoing president hails the “historic” victory of Nandi-Ndaitwah, who will be the country’s first female president
MADRID, Dec. 4 (EUROPE PRESS) –
Namibian President-elect Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has stressed that the population “voted for peace and stability” and thanked Namibians for their “confidence” in her after the Electoral Commission declared her victory in last week’s elections. in an African country.
“In accepting this result once again on behalf of SWAPO – the South West African People’s Organization – I say that the nation of Namibia voted for peace and stability,” he said from the capital Windhoek before It is worth noting that Namibians “voted for unity and diversity”.
So he promised the residents that he would fulfill his promises and work to support sustainable development and improve the economy. “We made commitments and today I say that we will do what we said. Thank you for the trust you show us. Thank you very much,” concluded the country’s vice president.
Outgoing President Nangolo Mbumba congratulated the winner and hailed her “historic victory” as she becomes the country’s first female leader. “The Namibian people have spoken,” the president stressed, according to a statement released by the presidency through his X social network account.
“The majority of Namibians have written a new chapter in the history of their constitutional democracy by electing their first female president, Her Excellency NetumboNandi-Ndaitwah,” he stressed before saying “there is no doubt that under her capable and compassionate leadership, the future of the Namibian people can only be brighter.
In this sense, he asked for the “necessary support” to be given to the new president to “successfully assume the important duties of the head of state”, an event scheduled for 21 March 2025, while congratulating SWAPO on the victory. consolidated the dominance it has maintained since independence in 1990 in parliamentary elections.
“For some candidates and political parties, this may not be the election result they expected. However, in a democracy and in a competitive electoral process, there will always be winners and losers. The most important thing is that there is always a next time,” settled Mbumba.
According to figures released by the commission, Nandi-Ndaitwa won just over 57.3 percent (about 640,000 votes) and his party came close to achieving a majority in the Namibian National Assembly with more than 583,000 votes and 51 seats.
The opposition Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) has already announced that it will challenge the election in court. The main opposition candidate Panduleni Itula won 25.5 percent of the vote and the party is the second most represented party in the chamber with 20 MPs.
Elections began on November 27 amid organizational chaos that led electoral authorities to extend the voting period until Saturday. For the opposition Itul, such an extension shows that the election must be contested, even if his own party ends up surprising and winning.
SWAPO has ruled Namibia since the country’s independence in 1990 and five years ago showed its popularity remained more or less intact thanks to the 65.5 percent support it won in the 2019 election, but is now going through a crisis that includes high levels of unemployment, corruption and inequality .
To make matters worse, the country is on the verge of becoming a major oil and gas producer following recent offshore discoveries in the Orange Basin by companies such as TotalEnergies SE and Shell Plc, making this election the starting point for a new economic and political era in African country.
