Thread: SWAPO Remains Dominant in Namibia

SWAPO Remains Dominant in Namibia
May 21, 2009

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The South West African People’s Organization (SWAPO) is still immensely popular in Namibia, according to a poll by Research Facilitation Services and Afrobarometer. 51 per cent of respondents would vote for the SWAPO candidate in the next presidential election.

The contender for the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) is a distant second with nine per cent. Support is lower for candidates representing the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA), the Congress of Democrats (CoD), the National Unity Democratic Organization (NUDO), the United Democratic Front (UDF), the All People’s Party (APP), the South West African National Union (SWANU) and the Republican Party (RP).

SWAPO has dominated Namibia’s political life since the country attained its independence in 1990. Samuel Nujoma won three straight presidential elections. In 2004, SWAPO nominee Hifikepunye Pohamba won the presidential ballot with 76.4 per cent of the vote, followed by Ben Ulenga of the CoD with 7.3 per cent.

New presidential and legislative elections are expected to take place in November 2009. Earlier this month, Pohamba—who will seek a new term in office—called for a calm democratic process, saying, "As this is an election year, I call upon all Namibians to ensure that our laws are respected. We should ensure that election campaigns and other political activities are conducted in a peaceful atmosphere. Political support should only be gained through the power of persuasion."

Polling Data

If a presidential election were held tomorrow, which party’s candidate would you vote for?

• South West African People’s Organization (SWAPO) 51%
• Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) 9%
• Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) 4%
• Congress of Democrats (CoD) 3%
• National Unity Democratic Organization (NUDO) 3%
• United Democratic Front (UDF) 2%
• All People’s Party (APP) 2%
• South West African National Union (SWANU) 1%
• Republican Party (RP) 1%

Source: Research Facilitation Services / Afrobarometer
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,200 Namibian adults, conducted from Oct. 23 to Dec. 3, 2008. Margin of error is 2 per cent.


SWAPO Remains Dominant in Namibia: Angus Reid Global Monitor