from ALFRED SHILONGO in Windhoek, Namibia
Namibia Bureau
WINDHOEK, (CAJ News) – LATE Tuesday, some Namibians were already securing their places in queues in order to enhance their prospects of voting in Wednesday (today’s) elections.
That is how polls in the Southern African country are a watershed moment.
The Southern African country is on the verge of having its first female president and the ruling South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) facing its biggest competition for power.
Voting opened at 07h00 on Wednesday (were to close at 21h00) and on the eve of the election the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) had pledged that all systems were in place to enable the more than 1,4 million people to cast their votes.
SWAPO has governed for 34 years, uninterrupted since independence from apartheid South Africa.
At some polling stations in the western coastal town of Swakopmund, residents were on Tuesday night, already securing their spots in the quest anticipated for Wednesday morning.
They woke up to temperate weather to make their mark.
High voter turnout is synonymous with Namibia.
In the last poll, attendance was about 61 percent, some 2 percent higher than the average turnout in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), of which Namibia is one of 16 members.
“This is a historic moment for me,” said first-time voter, Jenny Iyambo.
A majority (65 percent) of those registered are youth, born after the attainment of independence.
She was coy when asked who she would vote for, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah (NNN), a candidate of the ruling party SWAPO, and Panduleni Itula of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), were seen as the favourites.
ECN has put in place strict guidelines.
Campaigning or political activities within 500 metres of a polling station are not allowed. Wearing of political regalia is prohibited to maintain voter secrecy.
The sale of alcohol is banned on election day, which is a public holiday.
Vendors are not permitted to operate at polling stations.
Authorities said law enforcement would strictly enforce these rules as stipulated in the Police Act, 19 of 1990.
“Any violations will be dealt with accordingly,” ECN stated on Tuesday evening.
Nangolo Mbumba, the outgoing president, was among the early birds at the polls, alongside First Lady Sustjie Mbumba.
“It is a duty and privilege to vote for a leader and party of your own choice,” he said after casting his vote.
“I urge all Namibians to go out and cast their votes in a respectable and peaceful manner,” the leader said.
Preparations for the poll have been peaceful.
So open is the process that two members of the minority lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) community are contesting the polls.
Speaking to the media, Police Inspector General, Joseph Shikongo, said the voting process had been calm and peaceful throughout the country.
“No incidents of violence have been reported,” he said on Wednesday morning.
After discoveries of hydrogen, the country of an estimated 3 million people is positioning itself as a major player in the global energy industry.
However, unemployment and corruption is a hindrance to growth.
“The outcome of the polls will determine if the populace is confident in the course we are taking under the ruling party or want change,” said analyst Erastus Shivute on poll day.
– CAJ News