Namibia has elected Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwahm as the African nation's first female president. The 72-year-old was declared the winner of the disputed presidential polls and now joins Tanzania's Samia Suluhu Hassan as Africa's rare female head of the state.
As per the official results declared by the Electoral Commission, Nandi-Ndaitwahm won with 57 percent of the vote. The elections were held on November 27 but were extended due to technical problems, prompting the opposition to reject the results.
With this win, South West Africa People’s Organisation continues to maintain its 34-year stronghold since Namibia got independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990.
Who Is Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwahm?Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwahm, the incumbent vice president won Namibia's disputed elections, making her the first female president of the country.
Known by her initials NNN, the 72-year-old stalwart joined SWAPO in the 1960s during Namibia's independence struggle. Since then, she has served in numerous senior roles such as the foreign minister and more.
During her election campaign, the SWAPO leader promised to "create jobs by attracting investments using economic diplomacy."
She received roughly 57 percent of valid votes in the presidential race, according to the Electoral Commission of Namibia. 50 percent votes are needed to secure a victory.
Why Were The Elections Disputed?Namibia's disputed elections ended with SWAPO and Nandi-Ndaitwah's victory. However, opposition parties have rejected the results of the presidential polls.
As per the opposition, the presidential elections were marred by technical problems such as a shortage of ballot papers, triggering an extension in the voting till November 30.
This extension also led to voter fatiguewin7bet, with many giving up on the first day of voting after standing in queue for 12 hours. Opposition parties have deemed this extension as illegal and have vowed to challenge these results in court.