Namibia’s Opposition rejects election results amid fraud allegations

The opposition in Namibia has raised serious concerns about the integrity of last week’s general elections, calling for their cancellation.

Panduleni Itula, the main opposition candidate, voiced his party’s rejection of the results on Saturday, just as the polls were closing.

His remarks come amid controversy over the extension of the voting period and accusations of electoral fraud.

Voting, initially scheduled to end on Wednesday evening, continued into Thursday morning due to overwhelming voter turnout that caused long queues at polling stations. This unexpected extension has further fueled skepticism about the fairness of the process.

Preliminary results show Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, the candidate from the ruling South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO), leading with 48% of the votes counted from 10 of the country’s 121 constituencies.

Itula, representing the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), trails with 29%.

The IPC is determined to challenge SWAPO’s 34-year dominance, but the extended voting period and allegations of irregularities have cast a shadow over the election’s credibility.