Official results say Namibian president reelected after polls

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Final results from Namibian presidential and parliamentary elections have indicated that the incumbent president, Hifikepunye Pohamba, has been reelected by a large margin. The ruling party, South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO), also retained a majority in the parliamentary elections.

Pohamba won 76.4% of the vote in the presidential ballots; meanwhile, SWAPO obtained 75.27% in the parliamentary polls. The Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) party came in a distant second at 11.31%. SWAPO won 54 out of 72 seats in the National Assembly. The RDP took eight seats.

"I am a happy man. I, on behalf of SWAPO accept the election. I am grateful to the Namibian people who once again trusted me," Pohama commented after his reelection.

Eight of the thirteen parties competing with SWAPO said that they rejected the results of the polls, and would challenge them in court "for contravening the electoral law of the country." They claimed that they hadn't been properly informed about the process of vote verification, and that the speed at which the votes were counted was too slow.

A joint statement released by the parties said that "our eight parties will not accept the election results as the elections were conducted in contravention of the law. Accepting this supposed elections outcome will be tantamount to undermining democracy in Namibia."

African election observers, however, deemed the Namibian elections free and fair.

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Sources

"Namibia president re-elected: official results" — Agence France-Presse, December 4, 2009
"Namibia president re-elected" — Al Jazeera, December 4, 2009

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