Political analyst Rui Tyitende says Swapo’s strong showing in Tuesday’s by-elections signals not only positive momentum but also a major test ahead of the November elections.
Residents in the Otjiwarongo, Grootfontein, Sesfontein, Kamanjab and Kabbe South constituencies went to the polls, following vacant positions left by councillors who went to parliament after the November National Assembly elections.
Swapo took the Otjiwarongo, Grootfontein and Kabbe South constituencies.
The party also took back the Kamanjab constituency, a previous stronghold of the United Democratic Front (UDF).
UDF, however, retained the Sesfontein constituency.
“Swapo remains a dominant political force within the country, even though it has a serious image problem.
The opposition is weak and Swapo remains the only party that is able to spread its political tentacles across the country.
It remains the only political party that is able to distribute patronage in the form of jobs, in the form of tenders, in the form of other economic activities,” Tyitende says.
“Whenever people join a political party, they make a conscious decision of what really is at stake here materially for themselves,” he adds.
He says although Swapo won four out of the five constituencies in the by-elections, it would be a real test for the party to make inroads into territories that are currently being controlled by the opposition, like the Landless People’s Movement in the southern parts of the country and the Independent Patriots for Change in the Erongo region.
Tyitende expresses worry over low voter turnout in the regional and local authority elections, placing the responsibility on civil society, academia, and the media, as voter turnout typically falls below 50%.
“The regional and local authority should actually be where the bread and butter issues play themselves out, but people don’t take it so seriously.
The question is what are we doing as civil societies, academics, as the media, as political parties.
Civil society organisations are really trying to sensitise people in terms of the importance, or rather the significance, of regional and local authority elections but we need to do more,” he says.
RESULTS
Swapo secured 7 438 of the 14 512 total votes cast across the four constituencies, excluding Kabbe South whose official results are yet to be announced.
According to Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) spokesperson De Wet Siluka, the delay of the Kabbe South results is because of logistical challenges due to the location of the Kabbe South counting centre.
“The officials are being transported via airlift and the helicopter can only do two trips at a time, to pick the officials and drop them and then go back to pick up the materials,” he says.
He assures that once all results have been concluded, the ECN will officially announce the results.
UDF received 2 389 votes, followed by the Popular Democratic Movement with 2 207 votes and the Independent Patriots for Change gunning only 2 182 votes cast.
NEW COUNCILLORS
UDF’s new councillors are Uitani //Hoeb for Sesfontein, Paulus Nekundi for Otjiwarongo, Nelao Amagulu for Grootfontein and Nikodemus Amutenya for Kamanjab.
Otjiwarongo’s new councillor, Nekundi, believes the win signals that the masses are backing Swapo and come the November elections, he expects the same support.
He says his focus is to deliver on work left half way done in the term vacated by Marlyn Mbakera who joined the National Assembly.
“Now the hard work begins immediately, and in these few months I will ensure we deliver services to the masses. I am not new to the community, I have served them in various portfolios, and I am honoured to serve them,” he says.
