Namibia on course to elect first female president

The candidate from Namibia’s ruling SWAPO party, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, per reports is likely to become the first female president of the Southern African country.

The update comes after the organizing of a prolonged presidential election held last week for over 1.4 million Namibians who thronged polling stations to cast their votes.

The Electoral Commission reported that, with 91.8% of the votes counted, she leads with 58.1%, surpassing the 50% needed to avoid a runoff. Her closest rival, Panduleni Itula, has 25.4% of the vote.

The November 27 election, marred by logistical issues like ballot shortages, still reflects SWAPO’s decades-long dominance since Namibia’s independence in 1990​​.