Namibia opposition candidate furious after voting is prolonged for days

One of Namibia's opposition presidential candidates said Saturday that his party would reject the outcome of a general election marred by delays, logistical and technical failures.

Partial results showed Panduleni Itula of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) trailing Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, the ruling South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) candidate.

Electoral authorities decided to prolong voting until Saturday after the original election day — Wednesday — was marred by logistical and technology failures that led to hours-long queues.

Itula who finished second in 2019 said extending voting over multiple days undermine's the vote's credibility.

He said that his party would seek the nullification of the outcome, suggesting a court petition would follow the declaration of results.

Elsie Nghikembua, chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Namibia, said many people had failed to cast their ballots due to “logistical” challenges.

Namibia’s electoral issues come as Mozambique is engulfed in violent unrest after the long-ruling Frelimo party was declared the winner of an election in October, prompting claims of vote rigging and sparking ongoing violent protests in southern African country.