General elections were held in Namibia to elect a new president and members of the National Assembly. Initially scheduled on 27 November 2024, these were later extended in some areas to 30 November due to poor planning. Opposition parties decried the move, boycotting the declaration of results and pledging to challenge the results of the election in court. They were the country's seventh general elections since gaining independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990.

On 3 December 2024, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah of the ruling SWAPO party was declared the winner of the election. She became Namibia's first female president. The National Assembly elections saw SWAPO reduced to 51 seats, a bare majority of three. It was SWAPO's weakest showing since Namibia's independence in 1990.

Background Hage Geingob had died in office on 4 February 2024 whilst receiving treatment for cancer and was replaced by his vice-president, Nangolo Mbumba. Mbumba announced that he had no intention of running for president, and that he would serve out the remainder of Geingob's term which was to expire on 21 March 2025.

In 2019, the ruling SWAPO party received 56% of the vote, down from 87% in 2014. SWAPO, which gained its base fighting against apartheid in 1990, is seemingly losing support among youth voters, who are dissatisfied with low employment rates. The current unemployment rate is around 20%.

Prior to the election, online disinformation campaigns targeted various candidates. These campaigns included false allegations of opposition candidate Panduleni Itula being a "British agent"; purported footage of another opposition candidate, Bernadus Swartbooi, making tribalist statements towards Itula; and an artificially-generated image of SWAPO candidate Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah fainting at rallies. Various politicians accused the Zimbabwean ZANU–PF of spreading false information.

Electoral system The President of Namibia is elected using the two-round system; if no candidate receives more than 50% in the first round of voting, a run-off will be held. No previous presidential votes in Namibia have gone to a second round.

The 104 members of the National Assembly consist of 96 elected members and eight (non-voting) members appointed by the president.The Three Branches of Government Hanns Seidel Foundation The 96 elected members are elected by closed list proportional representation from one nationwide constituency. Seats are allocated using the largest remainder method.Electoral system IPU

Presidential candidates As president Geingob was ineligible for re-election after having served two consecutive terms, he selected deputy prime minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah to run for president as a candidate of his party, the South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO), of which she was also vice-president, in 2023. Upon Geingob's death, she was appointed vice president by president Mbumba. She became the first female vice-president of Namibia.

Fourteen others were also running for president in the election. These included 2019 presidential candidate Panduleni Itula of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), the main opposition candidate, Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) leader McHenry Venaani, former deputy minister Bernadus Swartbooi of the Landless People's Movement (LPM), and former Windhoek mayor Job Amupanda of Affirmative Repositioning (AR).

Conduct Voting was marred by logistical and technical problems such as malfunctioning voter identification tablets and insufficient ballot papers, causing long queues and the extension of voting hours by the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) until 28 November. The IPC accused the ECN of "deliberately suppressing voters and deliberately trying to frustrate voters from casting their vote". Following complaints from opposition parties, the ECN announced a further extension of voting hours for 29 and 30 November at 36 selected polling locations in Windhoek as well as in the Kunene, Oshana and Oshikoto regions. Representatives of the IPC, PDM and AR expressed dissatisfaction with the limited selection of polling locations for the voting extension. Legal experts and the IPC have called into question the legality of the voting extension. African Union (AU) election observers criticised the ECN's decision to extend voting for causing confusion. The IPC accused the ECN of "deliberately trying to dissuade voters from voting". The AU observer mission gave the ECN a transparency score of just 50%.

On 29 November, the ECN extended voting until the night of 30 November. The IPC alleged that this extension was illegal and accused SWAPO of committing fraud. Election monitors, consisting of southern African human rights lawyers, claimed that delays were intentional. Panduleni Itula declared that "the IPC shall not recognize the outcome of that election." The opposition refused to recognise the results and announced plans to file legal challenges.

A preliminary investigation by the AU carried out on 29 November did not find evidence of election misconduct.

On 3 December, the ECN declared Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah the winner of the election.

Results President

National Assembly

By constituency ConstituencySWAPOIPCARPDMLPMUDFSWANURPNDPOtherTotalAminuis18922553832527012204893166825631Anamulenge690985527738871421928203Arandis2515265380244861056128286344258362Aranos1546559522021178112544701514171Berseba1860246544242048131351101414860Dâures159391815475936811992343294145680Daweb104737279481179126553782879Eengodi611211712353931915362017804Eenhana1018621991073103291630112359014260Elim4796888354433911014276532Endola8523239998013179338343912532Engela7518195968420113152761032410757Epembe4593549157265814241545512Epukiro11081722152817143313863312710Epupa41302191305411916272828310235Etayi107921937590114918260625813750Gibeon118510522511561911165913056Gobabis42121442356708143850405613475989869Grootfontein588319687789501072222161409587411998Guinas20474901301095193812369963486John Pandeni4559340919869681383174317513868513570Judea Lyaboloma14954971191322723524159882569Kabbe North202160381163255431471093161Kabbe South2239274477812750136532851Kalahari247367218247468242205284312795324Kamanjab145436575424183817217671403562Kapako588290330345474382514366788407Karasburg East19977951313161949718121202245578Karasburg West40441595164226500131265213206960Karibib3080174144561567111555793224718350Katima Mulilo Rural3463857150310201015334801535491Katima Mulilo Urban6593215765363896242417137139811971Katutura Central178916405402147117119868237258889117Katutura East5284380319466612353533100538361315429Keetmanshoop Rural1,9364821894292,101613103211145394Keetmanshoop Urban3422102639740434712224168292059168Khomasdal4489384820821500194822547018717689015815Khorixas20874521174003892607125141176200Kongola19127512321441503714283871773832Linyanti1550508421962558147584803145Mankumpi173816134601685441102140Mariental Rural17313525316711108920391293771Mariental Urban339178822725527823332176192267929Mashare351838175314521720451411235559Moses ǁGaroëb110787150159239158594943029101522058Mpungu538447810986141814331546263Mukwe476614203241599683132235116429956Musese30682894423317917553083995Ncamagoro14771803113414912311351996Ncuncuni15652898815046710352462409Ndiyona223638266259301513160105013672Ndonga Linena2586594613602213111174584123Nehale lyaMpingana443059818543311719171425473Nkurenkuru44577263411372071916201905933Ogongo5453627254325913331306529Ohangwena779221767022122323315648611456Okahandja6594356713471184148353619555610583516402Okahao827012395485510122411114910319Okakarara18677941142728105168601914425559202Okaku6050245876112622202821552310005Okalongo108221698432792315203324113336Okankolo48088982532951415242086236Okatana6093195578710019105564349414Okatyali13986541411643502682291Okongo99131227424839192921626311994Okorukambe1997402814295304492157161843932Olukonda3499198158464151612122136387Omaruru193710342527152643776764122664988Omatako2887126350181326472182113457546894Ompundja191650810217310313772640Omulonga8402153936766617266231710748Omundaungilo4964510150343711812195907Omuntele6006204229230922234112138652Omuthiyagwiipundi8002365295710829272651251713335Onayena463415295323311918421156887Ondangwa Rural333019651122121331118453826991Ondangwa Urban791966812682396251302184299719027Ondobe9220142439762919297133011498Onesi714886324478291728261438558Ongenga73821675492906920662569942Ongwediva921446162470273481336111956817268Oniipa5025248868688321225112978655Onyaanya6689217842441171921162619657Opuwo Rural1005202100371430292459115345879Opuwo Urban3771790399330746496914155599019Oranjemund28522141777204840151950302957223Oshakati East920156051634478501723101171717746Oshakati West8028401513843093922129714576Oshikango955322524902062720327848713082Oshikuku637012236578881115042828658Oshikunde61715561943761216741837186Otamanzi5586641177306171233786553Otavi3620146253935064115542141444897483Otjinene93722135964116134782061278 (1183 NUDO)4068Otjiwarongo65063774118517642061105520223372118818040Otjombinde96223523462256163551562212551Outapi176592790129613223223751234922325Outjo268696617681165111233514603876981Rehoboth Rural16704574819366314124591833294Rehoboth Urban East3066117115537515488221158165937185Rehoboth Urban West137015331365771159239220126165655Ruacana62791062429606291982192448760Rundu Rural2,77048712926341162014156424397Rundu Urban151533951158314475039579199178240825596Samora Machel88066487204286314622132263839108121257Sesfontein131945915462460112016572013965Sibbinda211310281023471966715302374459Swakopmund744010187192611021601125112380342118125656Tobias Hainyeko79954285123733348812653335783815445Tondoro40533229228222219991584977Tsandi12477151448566822252421514818Tsumeb54282984978602967225391264760412000Tsumkwe21803106228419725550158201543940Uukwiyu352215194674115418452555850Uuvudhiya2103348110253870423802783Walvis Bay Rural54246704152763069825268724569816118Walvis Bay Urban650684511860514589218622704369919212Windhoek East7242829334891138930144228130012782623717Windhoek Rural58224776216488120541411555916678517435Windhoek West1059792445013182122262583961057319118532116ǃNamiǂNûs33282622526229989111629193398108Total5833002208097222759839569711682811484109426647536381092685Percent53.3820.216.615.485.211.541.051.000.614.91100.0Constituencies104604511001121Source: ECN

Aftermath On 3 December 2024, Nandi-Ndaitwah was declared the victor with 57% of the vote, avoiding a runoff election which was predicted to occur. She became the first woman to be elected as president of Namibia and will be one of two women presidents in Africa, alongside Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania. In a speech to supporters, Nandi-Ndaitwah stated "the Namibian nation has voted for peace and stability." The results showed the weakest showing for SWAPO since Namibia's independence, with the party barely receiving a majority in parliament. Bloomberg identified the result as "broad policy continuity in a nation that's on the verge of becoming a major hydrocarbons producer", noting the recent discovery of offshore deposits in the Orange Basin.

Panduleni Itula, the second-place candidate, declared that there was a "multitude of irregularities" and would "fight... to nullify the elections through the processes that are established within our electoral process." Opposition parties pledged to challenge the election extension in court. Itula criticized the opening of only selective polling stations, which may have prevented thousands of voters from casting their vote. The opposition parties boycotted the announcement of the official results that took place in Windhoek. Calls for a repeat of the election by the opposition was rejected by the ECN. The Forum of German-Speaking Namibians noted that doubts caused by the extension can lead to governmental distrust, and "it is in the hands of the ECN to avoid this slippery path to chaos and violence."