The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) has congratulated the Landless People’s Movement (LPM) on winning the Keetmanshoop Rural constituency be-election on Monday.
The LPM candidate, former chairperson of the Koës Village management committee, Willem Labuschagne, garnered 1 270 votes out of 2 912 cast in the by-election. Elias !Kharuxab of Swapo obtained 872 votes, followed by independent candidate Gerrit Witbooi (463).
Johannes Eiman of PDM got 275 votes, and Magdalena Stoffel of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) received 32 votes. Sixteen ballots were spoiled.
“Our poor performance encourages us to go back to the drawing board and reinvent ourselves as the alternative movement,” PDM secretary general Manuel Ngaringombe said.
Just before the by-election, LPM members opened cases of defamation of character and vandalism of campaign materials and accused Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) officials of tampering with sensitive election material to register more people to vote in favour of Swapo.
The allegations were denounced by ECN chief elections and referendum officer Theo Mujoro, but led LPM members to invade the Keetmanshoop Police Station and stage a two-day protest.
LPM policy and programmes unit manager Eneas Emvula described the elections as free and fair.
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