Politics of Namibia takes place in a framework of a semi-presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Namibia is both head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by both the president and the government. Legislative power is vested in the two chambers of Parliament. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.
Elections in Namibia determine who holds public political offices in the country. Namibia is a semi-presidential representative democratic republic. It runs direct elections every five years for the position of the president and seats in the National Assembly, and every six years for the Regional Councils and the distribution of seats in local authorities. The National Council is elected indirectly by the constituency councillors of Namibia's 14 regions.
The Congress of Democrats (CoD) is a Namibian opposition party without representation in the National Assembly and led by Ben Ulenga. It was established in 1999, prior to that year's general elections, and started off with a number of notable politicians that left the ruling SWAPO party. This includes Ulenga who left SWAPO to protest plans to amend the constitution so that President Sam Nujoma could run for a third term.
The Monitor Action Group is a political party in Namibia. The party came into existence as the transformation of the National Party of South West Africa in 1991, Kosie Pretorius became its first chairperson and served until his retirement from active politics in June 2013. The party is based among conservative Afrikaners, with most of the top leadership having served in the government of apartheid South West Africa. In June 2009, the party contended that aspects of the affirmative action policy of Namibia violated the country's constitution.
Benjamin Ulenga is a Namibian trade unionist, politician, and diplomat. In the 1990s, he served under the SWAPO government as a deputy minister and as an ambassador, but he left SWAPO in 1998 and founded an opposition party, the Congress of Democrats (CoD), in 1999. He was a member of the National Assembly of Namibia from 2000 to 2015 and led the CoD until 2015.
Tsudao Immanuel Gurirab is a Namibian politician. A member of Congress of Democrats (CoD), Gurirab was previously a member of the ruling South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) until he alongside Ben Ulenga, Ignatius Shixwameni and others left SWAPO to form CoD in 1999. He was also a member of the Pan-African Parliament and the only non-SWAPO member selected from Namibia. In 2007, Gurirab was elected chairperson of the party.
Jerry Lukiiko Ekandjo is a Namibian politician, former anti-apartheid activist and political prisoner. He is one of the founding members of the SWAPO Youth League and has been one of the most active internal leading members of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) during the liberation struggle. He spent eight years in prison on Robben Island after being charged for inciting violence in 1973.
General elections were held in Namibia on 30 November and 1 December 1999 to elect a president and the National Assembly. Voting took place over two days, after the Commission was persuaded by protests from political parties that a single polling day would be insufficient to accommodate travel to polling stations by voters in remote areas.
General elections were held in Namibia on 27–28 November 2009. They were the fourth general elections since independence and the fifth democratic elections. Voting ended on 28 November and official election results, released on 4 December, showed that Hifikepunye Pohamba and his SWAPO Party were re-elected, each with over 75% of the vote. Prior to the election, the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) was widely expected to score a landslide victory, with the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) considered SWAPO's biggest challenger. Fourteen political parties competed for seats in the National Assembly of Namibia, and twelve candidates ran for the presidency.
Mukwe is a constituency in the Kavango East region of Namibia. The district centre is the settlement of Mukwe. It had a population of 27,690 in 2011, up from 27,250 in 2001. The constituency contains the major settlements of Bagani, Kangongo and Divundu, and a number of small populated places such as Andara and Diyogha. As of 2020 the constituency had 16,678 registered voters.
Okorukambe Constituency, until 2013 Steinhausen Constituency, is an electoral constituency in the Omaheke Region of Namibia. It had 9,066 inhabitants in 2004 and 5,818 registered voters in 2020. Its district capital is the settlement of Steinhausen. It further contains the settlements of Witvlei and Omitara.
The United People's Movement, formerly known as the Rehoboth Democratic Movement, is a political party based in Rehoboth, Namibia. It formed in March 2010 and is headed by Willem Bismark van Wyk (President) and former leading Democratic Turnhalle Alliance member Piet Junius. The party changed names in August 2010 to the United People's Movement. The party officially registered with the Electoral Commission in July 2010 and contested the November 2010 local and regional elections, where it won 2 seats in the Rehoboth local council and 1 seat on the Okahandja Municipality.
Rundu Urban is an electoral constituency in the Kavango East region of Namibia. It covers the urban area of Rundu, the region's capital and one of Namibia's largest cities. The constituency also covers parts of the Sauyemwa, Safari, Tutungeni, Katutura, Donkerhoek and Kehemu neighborhoods. It had a population of 20,953 in 2011, up from 19,173 in 2001. As of 2020 the constituency had 35,740 registered voters.
The Rehoboth Ratepayers' Association (RRA) is a local political party in Rehoboth, Namibia. It is closely affiliated with Namibia's Baster community which is centered in Rehoboth. The party was formed in 1998 by Baster leader Hans Diergaardt to the contest the 1998 local elections. Despite Diergaardt's death in February 1998, the party continued to run candidates. In 2009, the party's leader and first secretary was Lukas de Klerk.
Margaret Natalie Mensah-Williams is a Namibian politician, diplomat, and prominent SWAPO member. She currently serves as Namibia's ambassador to the United States.
Opuwo Rural is an electoral constituency in the Kunene Region of Namibia. The administrative centre of Opuwo Rural is the settlement of Otuani. As of 2020, it has 7,315 registered voters.
Mankumpi Constituency is an electoral constituency in the Kavango West Region of Namibia. The administrative centre is the village of Satotwa. Mankumpi was created in August 2013, following a recommendation of the Fourth Delimitation Commission of Namibia, and in preparation of the 2014 general election. It was formed from the south-eastern part of the former Kahenge Constituency.
Ncuncuni is a constituency in the Kavango West region of Namibia. It is located west of Rundu, one of Namibia's largest cities. It had a population of 38,281 in 2011, up from 26,623 in 2001. As of 2020 the constituency had 4,554 registered voters.
Jan Johannes van Wyk is a Namibian politician who has served as a Member of the National Assembly of Namibia since 2015, first as a representative for the United People's Movement (UPM) and later for the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) from 2020 onwards. He is the UPM's current vice-president and former national chairperson. Van Wyk represented the UPM on the Rehoboth Town Council from 2010 to 2015 and was the UPM's sole parliamentary representative before the party formed a pact with the PDM ahead of the 2019 general election.
