This archive report was first published on 1 December 2019.
On November 27, 2019, Namibia held its presidential election, with incumbent President Hage Geingob seeking a second and final term in office.
Geingob, Namibia's third leader since the country gained independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990, secured 56.3% of the vote, avoiding a potential re-run against a member of his own party, Panduleni Itula, who ran as an independent.
Itula, a dentist-turned-politician, trailed behind with 29.4% of the vote, while the leader of the official opposition party, McHenry Venaani, secured 5.3%.
President Geingob expressed pride in the election's outcome, stating, 'I am just a proud Namibian that we could have free and fair elections, no fighting, no attacking each other, free movement was allowed.'
The ruling party lost its two-thirds majority in the legislative vote, securing 63 seats, down from 77, while the official opposition party, the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), will hold 16 seats, improving from its 2014 total of five.
Opposition leader Venaani raised concerns over 'anomalies and irregularities' during the election, suggesting that they may approach the courts.
