Johannesburg, November 29 (EFE).- Namibian President Nangolo Mbumba this Friday exonerated the Electoral Commission (ECN) of voting delays that caused the presidential and parliamentary elections to be extended to this Saturday, even though they were scheduled to be held on Wednesday in one day.
“We should have done a better organization. But we should have let the ECN do its job (…). We thank them for what they have done. We will not blame them for this or that,” Mbumba said in an address to the media from State House, the seat of the Namibian presidency in Windhoek.
The outgoing president, who is not running for re-election, bemoaned some of the irregularities, such as long lines and a lack of ballots: “This is something that should not happen,” he said.
“By the grace of God we hope that by tomorrow or Sunday we will have a good idea of where the results will take us, if not the final result, because I want everyone to get down to work on Monday. ” Mbumba commented on the number of votes which had to be confirmed this Saturday initially and before the voting was extended.
He also called on all leaders of the vast southern African desert country – “political, religious, traditional, community leaders, village pastors and everyone else” – to ensure that their people “live in peace until they announce the final result”.
Voting continues this Friday in some locations in the country after the ECN decided to extend voting until Saturday due to long delays suffered by some schools.
After receiving complaints from various political parties, ECN President Elsie Nghikembua this Thursday admitted that several factors such as a shortage of ballot papers or faulty verification machines prevented some people from exercising their democratic right during Wednesday’s polling day.
ECN announced the measure after Namibia’s opposition questioned the election, which it described as a “disgrace of elections” and the decision to expand voting in some centers of the country.
More than 1.4 million registered voters were called on Wednesday to choose their next president and 96 members of the 104 seats that make up the National Assembly (Lower House of Parliament) of the large southern African desert country.
After the death of President Haige Geingob (2015-2024) last February, fifteen candidates are running for the presidency.
The official candidate is Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, the current vice president and historical activist of the ruling South West African People’s Organization (SWAPO), who would become Namibia’s first female leader if she wins.
His main challenger is Panduleni Itula of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), who stormed strongly into the 2019 presidential election – even as an independent – with nearly 30% of the vote, the opposition’s best result since the country’s independence.
If Nandi-Ndaitwah fails to win, Namibians would experience a historic moment as it would be the first time a ruling party has lost an election since the country’s independence from South Africa in 1990.
Known for its stable democracy and mineral wealth, and despite macroeconomic policies that have enabled it to reduce poverty and become an upper-middle-income country, Namibia continues to have one of the most unequal societies in the world, second only to South Africa. according to the Gini index. EFE
