Namibia elects its first female president

Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has been declared the winner of the country's presidential election, becoming the first woman to assume the presidency.

The announcement came on Tuesday evening from the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN), following the release of official results from last week's elections.

Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72, a prominent figure in Namibia's ruling SWAPO party, won the election with 57% of the vote, totaling 638,560 ballots. Her closest competitor, Panduleni Itula, leader of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), secured 284,186 votes, a significant margin behind Nandi-Ndaitwah.

Chairperson of the ECN, Elsie Nghikembua, confirmed the results, stating, "In the presidential elections, 15 candidates participated … by the powers vested in me as the chairperson of the ECN, I do hereby declare that Nandi-Ndaitwah has been duly elected the president of Namibia."

Nandi-Ndaitwah's victory marks a milestone for the nation, as she becomes only the second woman to hold such high office in Africa. She now takes the reins of a country that has been governed by SWAPO for 34 years, ever since Namibia gained independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990.

Her rise to the presidency follows the death of President Hage Geingob earlier this year, at which point she was promoted to vice president.

The election, however, has been clouded by controversy. Opposition parties, including Itula's IPC, have expressed dissatisfaction with the process, citing significant technical issues during voting.

Among the challenges were shortages of ballot papers and delays that forced the ECN to extend voting until Saturday, creating accusations of irregularities. The opposition has argued that the extension was illegal and is planning to challenge the results in court.