Middle East & Africa | A very long election

Namibia’s tired old liberation party stays in power

But voters are unhappy and frustrated

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah delivers a campaign speech in Windhoek, Namibia
Photograph: Getty Images

Lines stretched around the block, motionless, as voters stood for hours in the searing heat of a Namibian summer, waiting for ballot papers. On November 27th, long after voting had begun in the country’s presidential and parliamentary elections, over a third still lacked election materials. Thousands went home without casting their vote. Then the electoral commission announced it would extend voting in some polling stations for three more days. Voters returned, multiple times. “It’s like you are a mad person,” one frustrated citizen told local media.

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This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “SWAPO hangs on”

From the December 7th 2024 edition

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