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Namibians vote as ruling party seeks to extend 34-year rule
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Namibians vote as ruling party seeks to extend 34-year rule

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Namibia's ruling party, presidential candidate Swapo, in red suit, cast her vote at a polling center

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah faces a traditional, male-dominated political culture (AFP)

Voting is underway in Namibia in what could be the most competitive election since independence from white-led South Africa 34 years ago.

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is seeking to become the country’s first female president.

She is the candidate of the South West Africa’s People’s Organization (Swapo), the ruling party, to replace Hage Geingob, who died in February after nine years in office.

But allegations of high unemployment, poverty, inequality and corruption have eroded support for the party.

Nandi-Ndaitwah’s main challenger is Panduleni Itula of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) party, along with 13 other candidates.

Local media showed that long queues had already formed outside schools and other voting centers as voting began on Wednesday morning.

Voting, which began at 7:00 a.m. local time (05:00 GMT), will close at 9:00 p.m.

Swapo has been in power since leading the country to independence in 1990.

A candidate must obtain more than 50% of the votes to win, otherwise there will be a runoff between the two leading candidates.

Results are expected in the coming days.

Nandi-Ndaitwa cast his vote in the capital Windhoek as voting opened, urging his fellow Namibians to get out and vote, saying it “will impact the next five years of your life”.

It comes up against a traditional political culture dominated by the men of the country.

But she is a trusted leader having held high government office for a quarter of a century.

Itula, a former dentist and lawyer, won 29% of the vote in the last election in 2019, losing to Swapo leader Geingob, who received 56%.

He said it was an important day for Namibian democracy as he cast his vote in the capital.

Namibia is currently led by interim President Nangolo Mbumba, who took office in February after Geingob’s death, but he is not running.

Analysts say the outcome could depend on young voters, who make up more than half of the electorate.

Namibians also choose new members of parliament.

Namibia is a large, peaceful country with a sparse population of around three million, around half of whom are eligible to vote.

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