By McGeorge Mbare
Namibia’s opposition Presidential candidates have blatantly refused to accept the election results of the country’s just ended plebiscite controversially extended and marred by chaos and allegations of vote rigging.
According to Kennedy Wandera, of Africa news Centre, Vice President Nandi Ndaitwah is still leading the polls results and she is set to become the first female president since Namibia gained independence almost 30 years ago.
However the main opposition candidate Dr Panduleni Itula,of the Independent Patriot for Change has denied the poll results before all constituencies have been counted.
Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission of Namibia is facing a public backlash and trust related issues for causing confusion, delaying voting, suppressing the release of results at the polling stations and reopening voting stations while continuing with counting at other polls.
Prospective SWANU parliamentarian Barry Rukoro is one of the Namibians who has been has no kind words for the Electoral Commission of Namibia and the election observer missions from various institutions including SADC for endorsing the incompetence of the ECN.
“May I please ask you guys, who are not Namibia ,not to clap, because you clapping for your own reports .so one ,now I understand why the Electoral commission of Namibia is so relaxed ,so unprofessional ,so arrogant and so ineffective ,it because of this kind of reports that you come here and submit and read to us.thats why they make the same mistakes that they made five years ago ,by your own admission ,because you come here and glorify them ,tell us that they are very professional. How do we then improve if there already glorified?.
The Affirmative Repositioning party, another opposition outfit has made bold statements saying they will not recognise the poll results and they will be consulting their lawyers on challenging the 2024 presidential and National Assembly elections.
Whilst the post electoral environment has remained peaceful, tensions are bubbling under and Namibians and the rest of the SADC region will be waiting to see how the situation pens out.