Final push for voter registration efforts underway

With August 1 being the final day for eligible Namibian citizens to register to vote and receive a voter’s card for the Presidential and National Assembly elections on November 27, we spoke with an economist about the importance of voter registration. According to Dr. Omu Kakujaha-Matundu, strong democracies often lead to stronger economies, making it key for everyone to participate.

The general elections in Namibia are scheduled for November 27, 2024. These elections will be for choosing a new president and members of the National Assembly. They will mark the seventh general elections since Namibia gained independence from South Africa in 1990. President Hage Geingob passed away on 4 February 2024, while undergoing cancer treatment. His vice president, Nangolo Mbumba, succeeded him and will complete the remainder of Geingob’s term, which ends on 21 March 2025. Mbumba has said that he does not plan to run for president.

Namibia elects its president through a two-round system: if no candidate secures more than 50% of the vote in the first round, a second round is held. To date, no presidential election in Namibia has required a second round.

The National Assembly has 104 members, including 96 elected members and eight appointed by the President (non-voting). The 96 elected members are chosen through closed-list proportional representation from 14 multi-member constituencies corresponding to the regions. Seats are distributed using the largest remainder method.

Since President Geingob was not eligible for reelection after serving two consecutive terms, he chose Deputy Prime Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah to be the presidential candidate for his party, the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), where she also serves as vice president, in 2023. Following Geingob’s death, she was appointed vice president by President Mbumba. If elected, she would become Namibia’s first female president.

Although SWAPO has secured victory in every previous presidential election, the winning margins have been narrowing. In 2019, Geingob won with 56% of the vote, down from the 76% he achieved in his initial run in 2015. The party has also experienced a decrease in vote share in provincial and legislative elections, losing its two-thirds majority. Additionally, opposition parties now hold control over the key economic centers of Windhoek, Walvis Bay, and Swakopmund.