Opposition leaders ‘satisfied’ with poll results

“DEMOCRACY has come of age in Namibia.”

That was DTA leader Katuutire Kaura’s first reaction to the outcome of Friday’s Local Authority elections across Namibia and five Regional Council by-elections in the east of the country when approached for comment on Sunday. The elections, which ended with Swapo candidates elected onto 45 of the 46 Local Authority councils in Namibia, though not in control of all of them – and also expected to be elected onto the Grootfontein Town Council, for which the election result was not yet announced yesterday – saw the DTA lose ground across a wide front on local authority level.It also saw the DTA lose four of the five Regional Council seats for which by-elections were held after the former DTA incumbents quit the party to join former DTA affiliate Nudo.In the fifth constituency, Otjinene, voting was suspended.With 31 DTA members elected to Local Authority councils at 25 towns on Friday – with the outcome at Grootfontein still awaited – the results represent another poll setback for the DTA, which had more than 90 candidates elected to 41 local authority councils in Namibia’s previous Local Authority elections in early 1998.’WE’VE SURVIVED’This time around, Swapo’s poll tally swamped the DTA more than five times over, with close to 170 Swapo town councillors elected – the Grootfontein result again not taken into account.But according to Kaura, he was satisfied with his party’s performance, considering the recent “ups and downs” it had gone through with the breakaway of two former DTA affiliates, the Republican Party and the National Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo).”We have survived” is what the elections results showed about the DTA, Kaura said.The fact that Swapo candidates did not score outright majorities in two formerly DTA-held Regional Councillor seats at Omatako and Tsumkwe, showed that Nudo’s breakaway from the DTA and its decision to challenge its former political partner at the ballot boxes in those constituencies in effect handed those seats to Swapo on a silver platter, Kaura said.He added that the results also showed that Nudo was a party based on tribal loyalties, and that it would not be able to garner wide support outside traditionally Herero-dominated areas.Except for its victories in the Regional Council by-elections at Okakarara and Aminuis, Nudo had members elected to local authority councils at Okakarara, where the party will have three councillors on the seven-member town council, and at Opuwo, Omaruru, Okahandja, Gobabis, Leonardville and in Windhoek.One Nudo member was elected onto each of the last seven local authority councils.According to Nudo Secretary General Joseph Kauandenge, his party was generally impressed with its showing.Kauandenge said the fact that in many towns no party scored an outright majority of seats meant that Namibia would have to see a new pattern of coalition-forming in several towns.CoD ‘ON TARGET’CoD Secretary General Ignatius Shixwameni also addressed the prospect of coalitions needing to be formed at towns where there was no outright majority for any single party.He said the CoD believed that at local authority level co-operative politics had to be pursued in the interest of improving people’s lives at grassroots level.His party would be open and ready to talk to any other party about the possibility of forming coalitions in Local Authority councils, he indicated.With the Grootfontein result still not released by late yesterday, 33 CoD members had been elected to councils at 26 towns.Shixwameni said the results showed the CoD leadership that the party’s support was spread across Namibia, and that it was “the only real, national rainbow party in this country”.Having run a low-key election campaign on a shoestring budget, his party was satisfied that it had achieved the goals it had set, Shixwameni said.”We have arrived on the scene and have made an impact.”The CoD would now work to improve on its showing in the regional and national elections scheduled to be held towards the end of the year, he said.Results from central northern Namibia show that Swapo retained its monolithic support in those areas where it traditionally has rock-solid support.According to Shixwameni, intimidation against opposition parties was again experienced in those areas in the run-up to the elections.He acknowledged that the results showed that opposition parties had not made any inroads into Swapo’s support in those areas, but added that it would only serve as encouragement to the CoD to work harder to canvass support there.The RP claimed yesterday that “promises and intimidation by Swapo”, as well as voter apathy among non-Swapo voters, had proven to be the deciding factors in the local elections.The party said it was proud of its showing in the polls, where it had one member elected to six local authority councils.While claiming that the results showed that the RP was not ethnically-based, the party’s leader, Henk Mudge, at the same time stated in a media release that the RP would put its focus on the “politically negative and apathetic”, who, he said, made up the majority of potential voters, for the Regional Council and National Assembly elections.The RP was “extremely concerned” about “the negative and despondent attitude of white Namibians”, and would accept it as the party’s responsibility to encourage that part of the Namibian population to become involved and make a positive contribution as patriotic Namibians, Mudge said.The elections, which ended with Swapo candidates elected onto 45 of the 46 Local Authority councils in Namibia, though not in control of all of them – and also expected to be elected onto the Grootfontein Town Council, for which the election result was not yet announced yesterday – saw the DTA lose ground across a wide front on local authority level.It also saw the DTA lose four of the five Regional Council seats for which by-elections were held after the former DTA incumbents quit the party to join former DTA affiliate Nudo.In the fifth constituency, Otjinene, voting was suspended.With 31 DTA members elected to Local Authority councils at 25 towns on Friday – with the outcome at Grootfontein still awaited – the results represent another poll setback for the DTA, which had more than 90 candidates elected to 41 local authority councils in Namibia’s previous Local Authority elections in early 1998.’WE’VE SURVIVED’This time around, Swapo’s poll tally swamped the DTA more than five times over, with close to 170 Swapo town councillors elected – the Grootfontein result again not taken into account.But according to Kaura, he was satisfied with his party’s performance, considering the recent “ups and downs” it had gone through with the breakaway of two former DTA affiliates, the Republican Party and the National Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo).”We have survived” is what the elections results showed about the DTA, Kaura said.The fact that Swapo candidates did not score outright majorities in two formerly DTA-held Regional Councillor seats at Omatako and Tsumkwe, showed that Nudo’s breakaway from the DTA and its decision to challenge its former political partner at the ballot boxes in those constituencies in effect handed those seats to Swapo on a silver platter, Kaura said.He added that the results also showed that Nudo was a party based on tribal loyalties, and that it would not be able to garner wide support outside traditionally Herero-dominated areas.Except for its victories in the Regional Council by-elections at Okakarara and Aminuis, Nudo had members elected to local authority councils at Okakarara, where the party will have three councillors on the seven-member town council, and at Opuwo, Omaruru, Okahandja, Gobabis, Leonardville and in Windhoek.One Nudo member was elected onto each of the last seven local authority councils.According to Nudo Secretary General Joseph Kauandenge, his party was generally impressed with its showing.Kauandenge said the fact that in many towns no party scored an outright majority of seats meant that Namibia would have to see a new pattern of coalition-forming in several towns.CoD ‘ON TARGET’CoD Secretary General Ignatius Shixwameni also addressed the prospect of coalitions needing to be formed at towns where there was no outright majority for any single party.He said the CoD believed that at local authority level co-operative politics had to be pursued in the interest of improving people’s lives at grassroots level.His party would be open and ready to talk to any other party about the possibility of forming coalitions in Local Authority councils, he indicated.With the Grootfontein result still not released by late yesterday, 33 CoD members had been elected to councils at 26 towns.Shixwameni said the results showed the CoD leadership that the party’s support was spread across Namibia, and that it was “the only real, national rainbow party in this country”.Having run a low-key election campaign on a shoestring budget, his party was satisfied that it had achieved the goals it had set, Shixwameni said.”We have arrived on the scene and have made an impact.”The CoD would now work to improve on its showing in the regional and national elections scheduled to be held towards the end of the year, he said.Results from central northern Namibia show that Swapo retained its monolithic support in those areas where it traditionally has rock-solid support.According to Shixwameni, intimidation against opposition parties was again experienced in those areas in the run-up to the elections.He acknowledged that the results showed that opposition parties had not made any inroads into Swapo’s support in those areas, but added that it would only serve as encouragement to the CoD to work harder to canvass support there.The RP claimed yesterday that “promises and intimidation by Swapo”, as well as voter apathy among non-Swapo voters, had proven to be the deciding factors in the local elections.The party said it was proud of its showing in the polls, where it had one member elected to six local authority councils.While claiming that the results showed that the RP was not ethnically-based, the party’s leader, Henk Mudge, at the same time stated in a media release that the RP would put its focus on the “politically negative and apathetic”, who, he said, made up the majority of potential voters, for the Regional Council and National Assembly elections.The RP was “extremely concerned” about “the negative and despondent attitude of white Namibians”, and would accept it as the party’s responsibility to encourage that part of the Namibian population to become involved and make a positive contribution as patriotic Namibians, Mudge said.