McHenry Venaani

Last updated

Claodina Venaani
​
(after 2005)​
McHenry Venaani
McHenry Venaani speech 2017 (cropped).jpg
Venaani in 2017
President of the Popular Democratic Movement
Incumbent
Assumed office
9 September 2013 [1]
Relations Mike Venaani (father)
Children2
Alma mater University of Wolverhampton

McHenry Venaani (born 8 September 1977) is a Namibian politician and the President of the Popular Democratic Movement, a party with five seats in the National Assembly of Namibia and one seat in the National Council of Namibia. Venaani was contesting for a presidential race which took place on the 27th November 2024. Venaani has been a member of the National Assembly from 2002 to 2010, in 2014, and since 2015. At the time of his appointment in 2002, he was Namibia's youngest MP. [2] He was one of the three candidates standing for election as Paramount Chief of the Ovaherero Traditional Authority in January 2023, competing against Hoze Riruako and Mike Kavekotora.

Contents

Education

Born in Windhoek, Namibia, Venaani matriculated in 1995 at Dawid Bezuidenhout High School in Khomasdal, Windhoek. He holds a Diploma in International Trade law, from Holborn College, UK (2002) and a diploma in Constitutional Law, from Holborn College, UK (1999). Diploma in Business Law, Classic College (1997). [3]

In 2018, Venaani announced that the Commonwealth University in London, England, had awarded a doctor of laws (LL.D.) honoris causa to him "for his service, selflessness and other outstanding contributions as Namibia's leader of the official opposition in parliament". [4] Within days, the honorary doctorate, the institution conferring it, and the professor awarding the degree, were all exposed to be fake. Frederico Links, researcher at the Namibian Institute for Public Policy Research, subsequently questioned Venaani's "political ethics [...] wisdom and maturity". [5]

Career

Considered a rising star in the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA), Venaani ran for the top position in the party in 2005 against Katuutire Kaura. In that election, Venaani lost his position as party secretary general. In November 2008, he retook his position as secretary general, beating Alois Gende by a margin of 111 to 35 in party elections. [6]

Venaani was placed on DTA's electoral list before the 2009 general election, but the party did not receive enough votes for his re-election. [2] In the 2013 DTA elective central committee meeting, Venaani defeated Kaura by a margin of 96 to 52 and assumed the party presidency. [1] When Kaura was expelled from the DTA in February 2014, Venaani also took over his seat in Parliament, [7] but a court case brought by Kaura days after the decision was not contested by the DTA, and Kaura was reinstated both as parliamentarian and party member. [8] Venaani re-entered parliament in March 2015 after the 2014 election as a top-placed member of the DTA. [9]

On 4 November 2017, days after its 40th anniversary, the DTA was renamed the Popular Democratic Movement at Venaani's suggestion. This was done to facilitate the modernisation of the party and to shed its "colonial" name. [10]

In the 2019 Namibian general election, Venaani ran as the presidential candidate of the strongest opposition party. He gathered a disappointing 5.3% of the popular vote, coming in as a distant third behind Hage Geingob and Panduleni Itula. His party, however, achieved a very strong result and gained 16 seats in the National Assembly, up 11 from the previous election. [11]

He was a Presidential candidate in the 2024 Namibian general election. [12] He came at third place following Dr. Panduleni Itula with 55 422 votes. [13]

Beliefs

Venaani has spoken out against corruption, arguing that corruption is "a monstrous hydra that eats away the soul of the Namibian nation and degrades their dignity" and pledged to focus on anti-corruption if elected President of Namibia. [14]

In 2013, Venaani called for more acceptance and advancement of LGBT rights in Namibia. [15]

Personal life

He has been married to Cloudina Venaani since 2005 and has two children. Cloudina is a Social Scientist who has worked for the United Nations and is now responsible for the Global Fund-supported program on adolescent girls and young women (AGYW).

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">Omaheke Region</span> Region in Namibia

Omaheke is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia, the least populous region. Its capital is Gobabis. It lies in eastern Namibia on the border with Botswana and is the western extension of the Kalahari Desert. The self-governed villages of Otjinene, Leonardville and Witvlei are situated in the region. As of 2020, Omaheke had 48,594 registered voters.

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

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marco Hausiku</span> Namibian politician (1953–2021)

Marco Mukoso Hausiku was a Namibian politician who was Deputy-Prime Minister of Namibia from 2010 to 2015.

Katuutire Kaura was a Namibian politician. He was president of the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) from 1998 to 2013 and was the official leader of the opposition from 2000 to 2005.

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

The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) is an amalgamation of political parties in Namibia, registered as one singular party for representation purposes. In coalition with the United Democratic Front, it formed the official opposition in Parliament until the parliamentary elections in 2009. The party currently holds 5 seats in the Namibian National Assembly and one seat in the Namibian National Council and has lost its status as the official opposition party, taking the fourth place. McHenry Venaani is the President of the PDM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republican Party (Namibia)</span> Political party in Namibia

The Republican Party is a political party in Namibia. Henk Mudge was its President and its sole representative in the National Assembly. Prior to the 2004 parliamentary election, the Republican Party was part of the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA). It was revived as an independent party in 2003, and won 1.9% of popular votes and one National Assembly seat.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henk Mudge</span> Namibian politician

Henry Ferdinand "Henk" Mudge is a Namibian politician and President of the Republican Party. He was the party's only member of the National Assembly of Namibia from 2004 to 2011, when he resigned.

The Workers Revolutionary Party is a communist party in Namibia led by Attie Beukes and Harry Boesak.

The National Patriotic Front is a political party in Namibia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Namibian Economic Freedom Fighters</span> Political party in Namibia

The Namibian Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) is a political party in Namibia. It was formed in June 2014. The party has close links to the South African Economic Freedom Fighters. Economically, the two parties are similar, with the NEFF describing itself as a pro-freedom, anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist movement, to be against foreign exploitation of the country's natural resources, and proposing that land and its natural resources be owned by indigenous people.

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

Bernadus Clinton Swartbooi is a Namibian politician.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panduleni Itula</span> Namibian politician (born 1957)

Panduleni Filemon Bango Itula is a Namibian politician, dentist, lawyer, and former Chief Dentist at the Katutura State Hospital, as well as a former SWAPO party school lecturer. He was an independent presidential candidate for the Presidency of Namibia in the 2019 Namibian general election and finished second (29%) after Hage Geingob. He is the founder and president of the Independent Patriots for Change in Namibia. He was also a candidate in the 2024 Namibian general election where he represented Independent Patriots for Change as its Presidential candidate. His party was also among the parties running for National Assembly election 2024 where they obtained 20 seats.

Tangeni Iijambo is a Namibian politician and academic. He was president of the South West Africa National Union (SWANU) from 2017 to 2022, and SWANU member of parliament from 2018 to 2023.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Independent Patriots for Change</span> Political party in Namibia

The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) is a political party in Namibia. It was founded by Panduleni Itula in August 2020. As an independent presidential candidate in the 2019 election, Itula won the best result of a losing candidate in a Namibian presidential election. At the founding meeting on 2 August 2020 in Windhoek, Itula was elected party president, Brian Kefas Black chairman and Christine Esperanza ǃAochamus general secretary. Trevino Forbes, the current Mayor of Walvis Bay, serves as the current Vice President of the party.

<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 Immanuel, Shinovene (9 September 2013). "Youth take over at DTA". The Namibian . Archived from the original on 10 September 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Who’s in, who’s out", The Namibian , 7 December 2009
  3. ↑ "Venaani, McHenry". Parliament of Namibia . Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  4. ↑ van Wyk, Brandon (16 November 2018). "British university confers honorary doctorate on Venaani". The Namibian . p. 5.
  5. ↑ Links, Frederico (21 November 2018). "The politician, the fake degree ... and ethical awkwardness". The Namibian . p. 1.
  6. ↑ Maletsky, Christof (17 November 2008). "Venaani back in DTA seat". The Namibian .[ dead link ] Alt URL
  7. ↑ Immanuel, Shinovene; Kahiurika, Ndanki (3 February 2014). "DTA boots out Kaura". The Namibian . Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  8. ↑ Kahiurika, Ndanki (13 February 2014). "Kaura is back". The Namibian . Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  9. ↑ "So lyk die NV" [That's the NA]. Die Republikein (in Afrikaans). 3 December 2014. Archived from the original on 24 February 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  10. ↑ Iikela, Sakeus (6 November 2017). "Exit DTA, enter PDM". The Namibian .
  11. ↑ Iikela, Sakeus (2 December 2019). "Reduced victory ... Swapo, Geingob drop votes". The Namibian . p. 1.
  12. ↑ "Main candidates in Namibia's presidential election". www.cnbcafrica.com. 20 November 2024. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  13. ↑ info_e12wt4cs (4 December 2024). "NNN shatters glass ceiling – Windhoek Observer" . Retrieved 4 December 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ↑ Hamalwa, Festus (17 July 2023). "PDM kicks off 2024 campaign". New Era.
  15. ↑ "Namibian political leader stands up for gay rights". LGBT+ History Month. 16 December 2013. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
Party political offices
Preceded by President of the Popular Democratic Movement
2013–present		Incumbent
PDM nominee for President of Namibia
2014, 2019 		Most recent
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.