Namibia votes, ruling party set to retain power

WINDHOEK, FRIDAY

Namibians went to the polls today in a presidential and parliamentary vote likely to hand President Hifikepunye Pohamba five more years in power, but with a new opposition threatening his party’s hefty majority.

Vote counting begins after polls close at 1900 GMT tomorrow.

The Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), which broke away from the ruling Swapo party in 2007, is expected to become the official opposition, replacing the Congress of Democrats. Rich in resources and wedged between economic powerhouse South Africa and oil-producing Angola, Namibia has enjoyed an extended period of political and economic prosperity that has made its 2.2 million people the envy of many in Africa.

"Swapo will still win with a comfortable margin, but we are likely to have a new opposition party, targeting Swapo’s traditional strongholds," said Graham Hopwood, director of the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) in Windhoek.

Hopwood said campaigning was notably different from previous elections, with Swapo focusing on its record of delivering public services rather than relying on support based on its fight for independence from South Africa, which it won in 1990.

"They have been advocating what they have done in terms of providing infrastructure, better health, better education, better roads ... and trying to convince voters that if they vote for them, they would do more in that direction," he said.

Since independence, Namibia has enjoyed stability and economic growth but the global slowdown has exacerbated poverty and unemployment and widened cracks in its highly regarded health care and school systems.

Exacerbated Poverty

"Income is unequally distributed, Namibia’s education system is in shambles, the health system is crumbling and unemployment is very high," said Phil ya Nangolo, executive director at the National Society for Human Rights. Hopwood said that while poverty had been coming down in the years since independence, Swapo was likely to be under pressure to introduce a basic income grant to accelerate the fight against poverty and inequality. The economy in Namibia, a big diamond producer and home to 10 percent of the world’s uranium output, is expected to contract by 0.6 percent in 2009, before recovering in 2010 on higher commodity prices and a rise in mining production.

Swapo has faced little opposition since leading the former German colony and South African protectorate to independence, but recent criticism of corruption could threaten the solid majority it has held since 1995.

"It’s a new ball game altogether. There is a much more formidable player with the formation of the RDP, which draws much larger support from the same group as the ruling party," ya Nangolo said.

The government of Pohamba, who took over in 2005 from independence leader Sam Nujoma, is also under increasing pressure to embark on a bold programme of land reform to redress historical grievances. Swapo has used musicians and glitzy campaigns to lure the new generation known as the "born frees" — born after the liberation struggle — who know little of the country’s recent history..

—Reuters