Namibians will head to the polls on November 27, 2024, to elect their leaders in a pivotal general election. Over 1.4 million registered voters out of the country’s population of more than 2.6 million are expected to participate in this democratic process.
The elections come amid significant changes to Namibia’s electoral laws, which now allow public sector workers to contest National Assembly seats while on paid leave. Council members elected to the National Assembly are also required to resign their council positions before assuming office.
The African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM), led by Uganda’s former Vice President Dr. Speciosa Kazibwe Wandira, is in Namibia to monitor the elections. The mission comprises 47 observers from across Africa, including Ghana’s former Electoral Commission Chairperson Charlotte Osei, who called for a peaceful and transparent process. “Hello Namibia! As we count down to a most historic election, we pray for a peaceful, fair, and transparent process. Let’s do this,” she wrote on social media.
Namibia’s ruling SWAPO Party, which secured 63 of 96 seats in the 2019 elections, will face stiff competition from opposition parties, including the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) and the Landless People’s Movement (LPM). Smaller parties, such as the Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) and the All People’s Party (APP), are also vying to increase their presence in parliament.
https://twitter.com/NamibiaToday/status/1859861382696665245
The AUEOM observers have been deployed to all 14 regions in Namibia to assess voting, counting, and polling station operations. Their findings will be shared in a preliminary report on November 30, with a comprehensive report to follow within a month after the election results are announced.