IPC’s Itula talks 2024 Election expectations

As Namibia approaches its seventh general election since independence, scheduled for 27 November 2024, political parties are gearing up for a highly anticipated race. Among them is the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) party, led by Panduleni Itula, who spoke on the potential voter turnout and his expectations for increased support.

In a recent interview with Future Media News, Itula shared his concerns about discrepancies in past vote counts, referring to differences in the numbers reported by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN). He said, “We know there has been a discrepancy in the votes allocated to me. IPPR recorded 249,000 votes, while the ECN recorded 242,000, meaning 7,000 votes were moved away from me.”

Looking ahead to the 2024 election, Itula expressed optimism but acknowledged the challenges of mobilising voters. “This year, we’ve got 1.4 million people registered, and if the same voting pattern holds, we’ll probably see around 1.1 million people casting their votes,” he said. He explained that based on these numbers, it would take approximately 11,000 votes to secure a single seat in Parliament, a threshold that will be difficult to reach in the current political climate.

As Namibia’s political landscape continues to evolve, Itula and his IPC party are preparing for a tough battle to gain more representation in the National Assembly. With voter engagement and turnout expected to play a crucial role, the upcoming elections will test the strength of Namibia’s democracy and political parties.