Landless People's Movement (Namibia)

Last updated
Landless People's Movement
AbbreviationLPM
President Bernadus Swartbooi
Deputy Leader and Chief Strategist Henny Seibeb
Treasurer GeneralAina Kodi
National Events CoordinatorIvan Skrywer
Operative Secretary Edson Isaacks
Founded2017
Registered8 February 2019 (2019-02-08)
Split from SWAPO
Headquarters11 Sauer Street
Windhoek
Khomas Region
Student wing LPM Youth and Student Command Element
Ideology Social democracy [1] [2]
Democratic socialism [3]
Land reform [4]
Agrarian reform [4]
Progressivism
Federalism [1]
Political position Centre-left to left-wing [3]
International affiliation Progressive International
Colors  Orange
  Black
  Green
SloganRestoring Our Dignity
Seats in the National Assembly
4 / 104
Seats in the National Council
6 / 42
Regional Councillors
12 / 121
Local Councillors
16 / 378
Pan-African Parliament
0 / 5
Website
www.lpmparty.org

The Landless People's Movement (LPM) is a political party in Namibia. It is led by former deputy Minister of lands and resettlement Bernadus Swartbooi, who serves as its President and chief change campaigner, and Henny Seibeb, the party's deputy leader. [5] [6] [7] The party has four seats in parliament, which are occupied by the Party's President, Bernadus Swartbooi, Mootu Utaara, Isaacks Edison and Seibeb Henry. [8]

Contents

History

The Landless People's Movement was formed after Bernadus Swartbooi, deputy minister of land reform, was fired by the late former President Hage Geingob in December 2016 after refusing to apologise to then Land Reform Minister Utoni Nujoma, whom he accused of resettling people from other regions into the south of the country ahead of the Nama. [9] [10] [11]

Policies

Swartbooi has been a vocal advocate of land restitution and restorative justice for landless Namibians who were dispossessed of their land, including indigenous communities. [12]  The party also favours LGBT rights, and it plans on addressing the issues of abortion and marijuana legalization. The party's youth wing is the LPM Youth and Student Command Element.

Election results

Presidential elections

ElectionParty candidateVotes%Result
2019 Bernadus Swartbooi 22,5422.70%LostRed x.svg
2024 51,1604.65%LostRed x.svg

National Assembly elections

The party took part in the 2024 Namibian general election and gained one seat in the Parliament of Namibia, in addition to its previous four seats, which the party won in the 2019 Namibian general election. Its leader, Bernadus Swartbooi, was the party's presidential candidate and achieved the fourth strongest support nationally by receiving 4.65% of the national vote. [13]

ElectionParty leaderVotes%Seats+/–PositionResult
2019 Bernadus Swartbooi 38,9564.75%
4 / 104
NewIncrease2.svg 3rdOpposition
2024 56,9715.21%
5 / 104
Increase2.svg 1Decrease2.svg 5thOpposition

Regional Councilors elections

In 2023, Keetmanshoop by-election, LPM candidate Petrus Labuschagne won by 1,270 votes to claim victory for Keetmanshoop Rural Constituency Regional Councilor. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Namibia</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SWAPO</span> Political party in Namibia

The South West Africa People's Organisation, officially known as the SWAPO Party of Namibia, is a political party and former independence movement in Namibia. Founded in 1960, it has been the governing party in Namibia since the country achieved independence in 1990. The party continues to be dominated in number and influence by the Ovambo ethnic group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ǁKaras Region</span> Region in Namibia

The ǁKharas Region is the southernmost, largest, and least densely populated of the 14 regions of Namibia; its capital is Keetmanshoop. The name assigned to the region reflects the prominence of the Karas mountain range in its southern part. The ǁKharas region contains the municipality of Keetmanshoop, the towns Karasburg, Lüderitz and Oranjemund, and the self-governed villages Aroab, Berseba, Bethanie, Koës and Tses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keetmanshoop Urban</span> Electoral constituency in ǁKaras region, Namibia

Keetmanshoop Urban is a constituency in the ǁKaras Region of Namibia. It comprises the city of Keetmanshoop, except the Krönlein suburb, covering an area of 524 km2 (202 sq mi). It had a population of 19,447 in 2011, up from 15,777 in 2001. As of 2020 the constituency had 12,569 registered voters, up from 11,534 in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keetmanshoop Rural</span> Electoral constituency in Namibia

Keetmanshoop Rural is an electoral constituency in the ǁKaras Region of Namibia. It covers an area of 37,922 km2 (14,642 sq mi) and contains the Krönlein suburb of Keetmanshoop and the villages of Koës and Aroab, the settlements of Seeheim and Klein Karas, as well as several farming communities in the area. Keetmanshoop Rural had a population of 7,219 in 2011, up from 6,399 in 2001. As of 2020 the constituency had 6,398 registered voters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khomasdal Constituency</span> Electoral constituency in the Khomas region of central Namibia

Khomasdal Constituency is a constituency in Windhoek in the Khomas Region of Namibia. As of December 2019 it had 25,550 registered voters. The constituency consists of parts of the suburbs Khomasdal, Katutura, and Otjomuise. It had a population of 43,921 in 2011, up from 27,950 in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariental, Namibia</span> City in Hardap Region, Namibia

Mariental is a town in south-central Namibia. It had 18,494 inhabitants in 2023. It is the administrative capital of the Hardap Region in an area which has long been a centre for the Nama people. It lies near the Hardap Dam, the second largest reservoir in Namibia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Namibia</span> Public university in Windhoek, Namibia

The University of Namibia (UNAM) is a multi-campus public research university in Namibia, and the largest university in the country. It was established by an act of Parliament on 31 August 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aroab</span> Village in the ǁKaras Region of Namibia

Aroab is a village in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia. It had 2,651 inhabitants in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gobabis Constituency</span> Electoral constituency in the Omaheke region of eastern Namibia

Gobabis Constituency is an electoral constituency in the Omaheke Region of Namibia. As of December 2019 it had 13,457 registered voters. The constituency covers the rural area southeast of Gobabis and the town itself, except its eastern Nossobville suburb which belongs to Kalahari Constituency. Gobabis is also the seat of the constituency office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabinet of Namibia</span> Namibian institution

The Cabinet of Namibia is an appointed body that was established by Chapter 6 of the Constitution of Namibia. It is mandated to include the following positions: the President of Namibia, the Prime Minister of Namibia and any positions that the President so appoints.

Job Shipululo Amupanda is a Namibian activist, associate professor, and politician who served as Mayor of the City of Windhoek, in office from 2 December 2020 to 1 December 2021. He was an Associate Professor at the University of Namibia before he co-founded the Affirmative Repositioning movement, a movement set up by radical youth activists of the SWAPO Party Youth League in November 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernadus Swartbooi</span> Namibian politician

Bernadus Clinton Swartbooi is a Namibian politician.

Henny Hendly Seibeb is a Namibian politician and was a Member of Parliament who serves as Deputy Leader and Chief Strategist (DLCS) of the Landless People's Movement political party which he formed alongside Bernadus Swartbooi in December 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Namibian general election</span>

General elections were held in Namibia on 27 November 2019. Ballots were cast using electronic voting. A total of eleven candidates ran for the presidency and fifteen political parties contested the National Assembly elections.

Utaara Mootu is a Namibian politician, youth leader and activist. She is an elected member of the Parliament of Namibia following the 2019 elections, representing the Landless People's Movement (Namibia) and serves as the party's parliamentary spokesperson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maxie Minnaar</span> Namibian politician (died 2020)

Maxie Meliza Minnaar was a Namibian politician. She served as the regional councillor for Keetmanshoop Urban in the ǁKaras Region from January 2020 until her death in August 2020. She was a member of the Landless People's Movement party and the party's first regional councillor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Namibian general election</span>

General elections were held in Namibia to elect a new president and members of the National Assembly. Initially scheduled on 27 November 2024, these were later extended in some areas to 30 November due to poor planning. Opposition parties decried the move, boycotting the declaration of results and pledging to challenge the results of the election in court. They were the country's seventh general elections since gaining independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990.

References

  1. 1 2 The Constitution of the Landless People’s Movement
  2. "Namibia: Economic and Political Overview" . Retrieved 2023-10-15.
  3. 1 2 "Opposition parties say PDM coalition efforts too late". Windhoek Observer . 30 August 2019. Archived from the original on 14 September 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  4. 1 2 Miyanicwe, Clemans (11 November 2019). "LPM launches climate-focused manifesto". The Namibian . p. 6. Archived from the original on 28 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  5. Cloete, Luqman (8 May 2018). "Landless People's Movement wants Geingob to apologise". The Namibian . p. 5.
  6. "LAND OWNERSHIP LOBBY GROUP FORMS POLITICAL PARTY". Saba-news.org. 13 September 2018. Archived from the original on 9 January 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  7. "Landless People's Movement seeking restorative justice". Lelamobile.com. Archived from the original on 4 May 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. "Landless People's Movement (LPM) – Namibian Parliament" . Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  9. "Geingob fires Swartbooi". The Namibian . Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  10. "I was fired by thieves - Swartbooi - Politics". Namibiansun.com. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  11. "The Villager Newspaper Namibia". www.thevillager.com.na. Archived from the original on 2021-10-24. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
  12. "Swartbooi slams Govt's resettlement programme". Lelamobile.com. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  13. "2024 Presidential/National elections". elections.my.na.
  14. Sun, Namibian; Ndjembela, Toivo (2023-05-16). "#JustIn: Final results for the Keetmanshoop Rural Constituency by-election". Namibian Sun. Retrieved 2023-05-18.