Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru has swiftly congratulated Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah amid controversy surrounding the ongoing Namibia presidential election.
On Wednesday, November 27, 2024, Namibians went to the polls to elect a new president and members of the National Assembly.
The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN), led by chairperson Elsie Nghikembua, has been releasing provisional results as vote tallying continues.
As of the time of writing this article, the ECN’s results tracking website shows Nandi-Ndaitwah leading with 53.69% of the counted votes.
She is followed by Panduleni Itula, leader of the Independent Patriots for Change, who has secured 27.80% of the votes.
Only 25.41% of the total votes have been counted, with a national turnout of 68.41%.
Despite the ongoing tally, Waiguru was quick to congratulate Nandi-Ndaitwah for what she called her electoral victory, referring to the frontrunner as the president-elect.
“Congratulations, HE Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, on becoming Namibia’s 5th and first female president. Africa now celebrates seven remarkable female presidents, the first having been HE Ellen Sirleaf Johnson (@MaEllenSirleaf), a powerful testament to the progress of women in leadership. Wishing you a successful and transformative tenure. #MadamPresident @VPSWAPO @G7Governors,” Waiguru posted on X.
Disputed election
72-year-old Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who is the incumbent Vice President of Namibia, is contesting the presidency as the candidate for the ruling South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO), which has held power for 34 years.
She is also SWAPO’s first female presidential candidate in the 2024 general election.
Namibia, with a population of 3 million people and 1.4 million registered voters, gained its independence in 1990.
On Saturday, November 30, 2024, Namibia’s main opposition party, the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), announced that it will not recognize the results of the election.
In a press conference, IPC presidential candidate Panduleni Itula claimed that there had been glaring and undeniable electoral malpractices.
“We shall not, under any circumstances, recognise the outcome of the 2024 election… that is still, in our opinion, illegitimately continuing,” Itula declared during the press conference while calling for calm.
The IPC vowed to pursue legal action and has urged those who were unable to vote due to the said mismanagement by the electoral commission to report the issue to the police.
As Namibia awaits the final results of its 2024 presidential election, the country finds itself at a historic crossroads with the potential election of its first female president.
While Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru has praised Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah for her leadership and the progress women are making in African politics, the opposition’s refusal to recognize the results casts a shadow over the electoral process.
Waiguru has a history of congratulating women leaders early, having done so when Kemi Badenoch became the first Black woman to lead the Conservative Party in the UK.
