General elections were held in Namibia on 27–28 November 2009. These were the fourth general elections since independence and the fifth democratic elections. Voting ended on 28 November and official election results, released on 4 December, showed that Hifikepunye Pohamba and his SWAPO party were re-elected, each with over 75% of the vote.Namibia president re-elected: official results AFP, 4 December 2009 Prior to the election, the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) was widely expected to score a landslide victory, with the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) considered SWAPO's biggest challenger. Fourteen political parties competed for seats in the National Assembly of Namibia, and twelve candidates ran for the presidency.Large Victory Likely for Namibia Governing Party New York Times, 28 November 2009
Parties SWAPO The ruling SWAPO set itself the goal of winning all 72 seats in the National Assembly and controlling the NA "until the second coming of Jesus Christ".Vote SWAPO Party, Vote Pohamba for President SWAPO Party official website At the SWAPO party congress in November 2007, the incumbent president Hifikepunye Pohamba was elected president of SWAPO and also received the party's nomination for president in 2009.Namibia: Pohamba for 2009 polls News 24 SWAPO ended up winning 54 seats, a one-seat loss compared to its strength in the third National Assembly.
RDP This was the first general election for the Rally for Democracy and Progress. The party's nominee for president was Hidipo Hamutenya, a former government minister of SWAPO. The RDP was considered the main opposition to the ruling SWAPO. It gained eight seats in the National Assembly and became the Official Opposition.
NUDO On 16 October 2009, the National Unity Democratic Organisation (NUDO) was the first political party to officially submit their candidate, Kuaima Riruako, for president. New Era, 16 October 2009
Observers The National Society for Human Rights' observer status was withdrawn by the Electoral Commission of Namibia, which said it was "not impartial".Namibia hit by legal rows ahead of elections. BBC News. November 26, 2009. The organisation said it would approach the High Court to contest the decision;Maletsky, Christof (November 26, 2009). Poll ban heads to court . The Namibian. the court later ordered the commission to restore the organisation's observer status.Namibian High Court says rights body can observe elections . Afrique en ligne. November 27, 2009.
Procedure Though the country planned to buy electronic voting machines from India sometime in 2009, the Electoral Commission assured the National Assembly that they would not be used in the 2009 elections.Local, regional council elections shifted to 2010 . The Namibian, 13 March 2009
Results President Hifikepunye Pohamba was re-elected as President of Namibia with 611,241 votes, more than six times as many as Hamutenya, his nearest rival, received.
National Assembly
By region RegionAPPCPCoDDPNDTAMAGNMDCNDPNUDORDPRPSWANUSWAPOUDFCaprivi105202634350217241501075,4893179716,07659Erongo37129512961,33786187882,1939,63487636940,0576,301Hardap2261116333622,900698316991705,29868416410,154310ǁKaras471795707461,789394651223186,97053725520,345184Kavango7,11099250882,39051531542242,63841233247,798200Khomas1,1381201,3112353,7751,4472771775,45827,4611,8121,01681,3363,398Kunene6841233625,85822160412,0412,41618613311,5895,612Ohangwena34191401188112333557,96712335792,44765Omaheke20451218872,141431653725,3983,1265821,01611,603763Omusati3818149261561634465111,58464313100,89076Oshana103125268285812930391616,4839622875,27186Oshikoto247283272733816430562413,58716526467,100524Otjozondjupa677634881303,5186691171197,5227,72566945126,7941,906Source: The Namibian"Your Guide to the Results. Facts and Figures", The Namibian, 25 November 2014, p2
Delay controversy Final results were announced on 4 December, the longest delay between voting and the publication of results of any Namibian election (6 days). The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) blamed the delay on a recent amendment to the Electoral Act which had caused "logistical nightmares [they had] never experienced before" and a "cumbersome" verification process. The ECN had received criticism from political parties, civil societies and the general public for the delay. Following publication of the results, 8 of the 13 opposition parties stated that they did not accept the results and were instructing their lawyers to challenge the ECN in court "for contravening the electoral law of the country". Electoral observers have pronounced the polls to be free and fair but recommended that the ECN speed up the counting process and free up access to the media for all parties.
Accuracy controversy The accuracy of the results of this election has been questioned, not only by the defeated opposition parties but also by the Namibian Society of Human Rights (NSHR). The voters roll was the main subject of contention, having contained 1 181 835 entries at the time of first publication six weeks prior to the election but shrinking to 820 305 entries within a matter of days. Also the voter turnout has been questioned as there were a number of constituencies that had a turnout of over 100%, on top of the list Windhoek East with 191%, Okatyali with 189%, and Ohangwena with 175%. Further "minor" concerns were people being allowed to vote on behalf of someone else, voters asked to disclose their political affiliation at polling stations, and people allowed to vote twice.
References
External links
Electoral Commission of Namibia, official website Namibia Elections 2009 – Party lists, Manifestos, News, Comment and Analysis! Namibia Election Results 2009