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by Staff Reporter

AFFIRMATIVE Repositioning leader Job Amupanda, whose ambition is to become city mayor, has promised residents of Windhoek that the youth movement, together “with the progressive forces”, will now run the council in a way that benefits the “dejected masses”.

This follows confirmation earlier today that Swapo has lost control of the Windhoek municipality, after voters only handed the ruling party five seats out of 15 on the council.

Dr Panduleni Itula’s Independent Patriots for Change has four seats, while AR and the Landless People’s Movement have two each. The Popular Democratic Movement and Nudo have one seat … Read More

by Pricillia Mukokobi

PEOPLE of Sibbinda constituency in Zambezi region expect the change they wished for after Independent Patriots for Change member (IPC) Mickey Lukaezi won the regional council seat in this week’s election.

The seat was occupied by a Swapo member in the past.

Lukaezi told The Namibian that the elections were free and fair and a true reflection of people’s aspirations.

“I’m very grateful to everyone who voted for me, it was not easy but people managed to go out and vote for me. I’m so excited and I promise to bring change to my constituency,” he said.… Read More

by Sakeus Iikela, Hileni Nembwaya, Luqman Cloete, Adam Hartman, Eliaser Ndeyanale and Shinovene Immanuel

NAMIBIA’S ruling Swapo party has lost control of its political power at more than 19 constituencies countrywide.

These results have displaced the party as a major power player at key economic hubs such as Walvis Bay, Windhoek, Swakopmund, the Zambezi region and the south of Namibia.

Swapo has enjoyed absolute control over regional councils and various local authorities since 1992.

In 2015, Swapo won 112 of the 121 regional council seats, and controlled 52 of the 57 local authorities.

With about 31% of the total number … Read More

SWAPO has lost control of the Windhoek municipality after voters gave the ruling party five out of the 15 seats on the council, according to sources.

Swapo previously occupied 12 of the 15 seats in the council.

Panduleni Itula’s Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) won four seats in this week’s election, giving the opposition a chance to form a coalition to run Namibia’s capital city. The Landless People’s Movement and the Affirmative Repositioning movement have two seats each, while the Popular Democratic Movement and Nudo have one each.

IPC is now in the driver seat to lead a coalition of … Read More

by Luqman Cloete

LANDLESS People’s Movement leader Bernadus Swartbooi has expressed excitement over his party’s election victories in two southern regions.

Preliminary results from the Electoral Commission of Namibia indicate that LPM candidates scored victories in four regional council constituencies in the //Kharas region in Wednesday’s regional election.

//Kharas constituencies won by the LPM by Thursday afternoon are Keetmanshoop Urban, Keetmanshoop Rural, Karasburg East and Berseba.

“While we are consumed by the heavy sense of excitement, we are consumed by the responsibility and our mandate to serve the electorate and to ensure corruption-free, transparent regional and local governance,” Swartbooi said.… Read More

by Hileni Nembwaya

NAMIBIA’S ruling party, Swapo, has managed to retain its hold in all the constituencies of the Ohangwena region during the just-ended local and regional elections. 

The Ohangwena region is one of Swapo’s strongholds in the north. Swapo candidates won in all of the 12 constituencies in Ohangwena.

The Swapo regional coordinator in Ohangwena, Hafeni Hatutale, said he was happy with the electorate for believing in Swapo, “because we are nothing without them”.
“We are happy and we will hopefully deliver more services to our trusted electorate,” he said.

Four of the Swapo candidates in the regional council election … Read More

by Adam Hartman

SWAPO has long had a majority in the Swakopmund Town Council, but this has changed now, with the party taking only three of the ten seats on the council in Wednesday’s local authority election.

The party won six seats in the 2015 local authority election.

The Independent Patriots for Change has taken three seats, while the Swakopmund Residents’ Association (SRA) has increased its seats to two.

The Popular Democratic Movement has lost its representation in the council altogether.

The United Democratic Front and Landless People’s Movement got a seat each.

“There is no better democracy than this … Read More

bu Sakeus Iikela

SWAPO administrator Austin Samupwa said he does not want to comment on preliminary local and regional authority election results that show the ruling party has lost several constituencies in the central and southern parts of the country, as well as in major towns.

he preliminary results for some regional councils in Erongo, Khomas, Hardap, //Kharas and local authorities in Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, Keetmanshoop and Oranjemund show the ruling party losing by big margins.

Samupwa said the party will only comment after the official results are announced by the Electoral Commission of Namibia.

“Those are preliminary results and … Read More

by Ester Mbathera

OUTGOING Walvis Bay urban constituency councillor Knowledge Ipinge has conceded defeat and congratulated the Independent Patriots for Change candidate Deriou Benson early this morning.

Referring to the ruling party Swapo, Ipinge in a congratulatory message on his Facebook page, said: “What matters most is that I’m not handing over the keys to the corrupt regime.”

Ipinge has been at the helm of the constituency since January after taking it over from Swapo Party.

He described his term in office having been a great experience to serve the community wholeheartedly.

He promised to continue to fight for the … Read More

by Shinovene Immanuel

LANDLESS People’s Movement (LPM) deputy leader Henny Seibeb said the party is happy with the election results so far, saying they now control the country’s two southern regions.

Seibeb said this in an interview with The Namibian today on his views about the latest results from the local authority and regional elections.

“We are happy. So far we have control of two regions [//Kharas and Hardap],” he said.

LPM, led by Bernadus Swartbooi, has pushed the ancestral land agenda since coming onto the political scene. They have also taken on Swapo in parliament.

Seibeb said LPM could … Read More

by Ester Mbathera

INDEPENDENT Patriots for Change (IPC) candidate Deriou Benson, who was contesting for a position at the Walvis Bay Urban constituency, could not vote for himself yesterday as he was a registered voter at the Walvis Bay Rural constituency.

Benson (30), could not change his voters’ card by the time his party announced him as their candidate for the Walvis Bay urban constituency.

“When I registered as a voter, it was not my intention to run as a candidate. Whether I was going to run for Urban or Walvis Bay Rural was never a question. I live in … Read More

by Adam Hartman

SUPPORTERS of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) at Swakopmund burst into celebration after supporters learned that the party’s candidate, Ciske Smith, had won.

Smith had won by nearly 2 500 votes compared to her Swapo rival.

Electoral commission returning officer David Diener read the regional election results for the Swakopmund constituency on Thursday.

Of the 12 027 votes casted for the regional council, IPC received 5 688, Swapo’s Phillipus Munenguni (3 260), Landless People’s Movement’s Hanganeni Kodi (1 119), United Democratic Front’s Mutani Dantu (791), Popular Democratic Movement’s Ihangwapo Hamutenya (740), Republican Party of Namibia’s Elifas … Read More

by Clemans Miyanicwe

VOTERS at various polling stations at Khorixas are complaining of lines moving too slow.

Bernadette Jagger, deputy minister of gender equality, poverty eradication and social welfare, cast her vote at Versteende Woud Primary School this morning.

“It’s a bit slow, but it’s picking up. I am very happy with people standing in lines; attendance looks good and this confirms people are ready to vote,” she said.

Jagger said the election is about service delivery and that this is the Swapo-led government’s mandate.

“As our mantra says, we have heard you. We have heard your voices on unemployment, … Read More