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Swapo looks set to sweep Namibian elections

Swapo looks set to sweep Namibian elections

Namibia’s ruling South West African People’s Organisation looks set to win its fifth consecutive election since independence in 1990, despite the opposition crying foul over irregular ballots. Having won 76% of the vote in 2005, a new five-year term for President Hifikepunye Pohamba appears assured after polls closed at the weekend. It may take until Wednesday to count the ballots for the more than 1 million registered voters. Swapo’s biggest challenge comes from its breakaway faction, the opposition Rally for Democracy and Progress, which came into being in 2007. The party says the ink used for identifying voters was removable, which means people can vote twice. The voters roll was also contested, with the National Society for Human Rights saying it included constituencies that have been listed twice, voters who have been listed twice and under-age people - a discrepancy of about 180,000 voters in a country of about 2 million people. A two-thirds majority enables the ruling party to alter the constitution. In Africa, that usually means someone wants to become president for life. Read more: BBC, Reuters, Bloomberg, AfricaFiles

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