Parties campaigning on billboards

WINDHOEK – No first-time visitor to the Namibian capital needs to be told that presidential and national elections are just a few weeks away.

Party flags and posters have replaced most of the billboards and signs that usually greet visitors in the city centre and beyond. Namibians are going to the polls for the presidential and parliamentary elections from November 27 to 28.Cars, houses, electricity poles, bridges, streetlight poles and buildings in residential areas have been adorned with party flags and posters as political parties scramble to catch the attention of voters. The ruling party, Swapo, has dominated the city centre with posters and billboards all over to catch the eye of the public. A big banner with ‘Vote Hifikepunye Pohamba for President’ is flying high in Independence Avenue opposite the building of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration.New kid on the block Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), has placed a billboard saying ‘Vote Hidipo Hamutenya for President – the time for change is now! Vote for a better future!’ opposite the Katutura Police station.The Congress of Democrats (CoD) has erected a billboard in the Khomasdal suburb opposite the Dawid Bezuidenhoudt High School that reads ‘Vote CoD. 50/50. The only zebra party’.Meanwhile, the campaigning has created many problems already as parties are competing for the best spots to sell their messages to potential voters.The City of Windhoek is now caught up in a war amongst parties, as the ruling party has applied to the municipality to use the whole of the main street in the Central Business District (CBD).According to the bi-monthly ‘Business Post’ newsletter, Swapo councillors are in support of an application by the party, while the opposition has opposed the application.’The biggest bone of contention is that Council rules state that advertising along Independence Avenue should only be used for events. Swapo councillors are arguing that the election is an event, while the DTA, led by councillor Ilme Schneider, said the election is not an event but a process,’ the newsletter said. The DTA also claims that Swapo councillors and council workers are not being transparent about the party’s application.According to the article, the opposition claimed that the application was not listed on the council agenda for their earlier meeting.The DTA also accused Swapo of not indicating how much the party is paying for the advertising spots.Other opposition parties have complained that a lack of funding is hampering their election campaigns, but they’ve put shoulder to the wheel and many candidates from various parties can be seen on posters all over the capital. -Nampa