Voting underway in Namibian elections

Nov 27, 2009, 5:31 GMT

   Windhoek - Voting got underway Friday in Namibia's fifth democratic presidential and parliamentary elections and fourth since independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990.

   Two days of voting in both elections began across the south-west African desert nation of around 2 million people at 7 am (0500 GMT) and was due to close at 9 pm (1900 GMT).

   A total of 14 parties are contesting the election to the 78-seat National Assembly, which has been dominated since independence by the South West African People's Organization (SWAPO).

   SWAPO, which fought a 22-year guerrilla war against apartheid South Africa ending in 1988, a year before the country's first democratic polls, won 55 Assembly seats in the last election five years ago.

   The party is expected to easily win re-election over a fragmented opposition, but with a reduced majority.

   Incumbent president and SWAPO leader Hifikepunye Pohamba, who succeeded founding president Sam Nujoma in 2004, is also expected to easily win a second term over his 11 rivals.

    Some 961,000 Namibians are registered to vote.

   The emergence of opposition to the hegemonic SWAPO from within its own ranks is the defining feature of this election.

   Popular former foreign minister Hidipo Hamutenya broke away from SWAPO in 2007 in protest over what he called the party's 'autocratic' leadership style and formed his own Rally for Democracy and Progress.

    Namibia is a stable, but extremely poor country, that lives off mining, fishing, agriculture and tourism.

   Some 28 per cent of Namibians live on less than 2 Namibian dollars (around 30 US cents) a day and six out of 10 young people are estimated to be unemployed.

   Results of the election are expected on December 4.