Namibia – What Now?

The way elections in Namibia are conducted has been put to its biggest democratic test yet.

While the official results from 27 November remain pending, it poses a challenge to the country’s political culture and trust in democracy.

This should be of concern to all.

As of now, it seems impossible to judge how much was incompetence and/or alleged deliberate manipulation.

What we have witnessed has nurtured suspicions in some quarters of voter suppression, bordering on disenfranchisement, especially in urban centres.

Countrywide, problems included long queues, insufficient ballots at some places, polling stations opening late, and issues related to mobile polling stations.

This has fed suspicions among opposition parties of allegedly manipulated outcomes – whether by intention or sheer incompetence is an open question.

For the opposition parties, this makes the results unacceptable.

‘EMBARRASSING’

What we have witnessed is a shame, a shambles and an embarrassment.

That the far-reaching executive presidential decision-making authority in a democracy includes extending voting for additional days beyond the fixed period, and only in some selected areas, is a blot on democracy.

It borders on violating the rule of law and constitutional principles.

The president’s publicly declared understanding of the failure of the electoral commission to execute proper elections, as required by its mandate and the law, is not acceptable protection of those who failed.

It borders on a betrayal of the proper procedures required to create acceptable results.

Despite a number of objections about the interim results published so far, one can also conclude that, based on voting patterns, the trend of the 2019 national and even more so 2020 regional and local elections has continued.

Namibia has become increasingly divided between a northern region that remains firmly under the control of Swapo as its stronghold, and other regions.

In urban centres in particular, voters have turned their back on the former liberation movement because of a lack of delivery.

This further fuels ethnic-regional animosities and also inter-generational and urban-rural divides.

National unity looks different.

THE REALITIES

Swapo has lost its unchallenged dominance.

Its declared optimism during the election campaign to regain a two-thirds majority and return to absolute power (declaring far more than a million votes in its favour as the goal) has run into harsh realities.

The struggle-era slogan that “Swapo is the nation, and the nation is Swapo” must be laid to rest once and for all.

The main challenge now is whether democracy survives by securing a free choice of those in government through the ballot box or if democracy is the ultimate collateral damage of these elections.

Like all other parties, Swapo’s prime interest should be to secure legitimacy and trust based on truly free and fair elections organised competently, with the results accepted by all.

WHAT NEXT?

Another election, based on voter registration and all other components and conditions in place for 27 November, could be the most obvious exit option.

It should take place before a new head of state, government and cabinet – based on the official, accepted results – is appointed on 21 March 2025.

This might be the only chance to regain the image of a democratic society in which the electorate is entitled to decide which party it wants to be governed by.  

It would also require election observer delegations from abroad, whose members are, beyond any doubt, loyal only to democracy.

That a member of one of the delegations expressed support for Swapo is unacceptable and could affect trust and credibility.

For now, Namibia risks becoming a laughingstock and being associated with the misleading and prejudiced view that this is another example of democracy ‘made in Africa’.

The country, its people and those in government and the opposition deserve better than to be placed in the same league as pseudo-democracies elsewhere in the world.

The current protests and coverage in the media, which is anything but a cover-up, document that for now democracy remains alive and kicking. It should not be killed.  

• • Henning Melber joined Swapo in 1974.