The ruling SWAPO has been shaken by the scandal and by the weakening economy, which has shed thousands of jobs. In the last election, in 2014, SWAPO won 80% per cent of the vote, its highest share ever, while President Hage Geingob won 87% of the presidential vote. This time the 78-year-old Geingob faces an unexpected challenge in Dr. Panduleni Itula, a dentist. Itula is standing as an independent candidate but retains his SWAPO membership and is expected to grab a chunk of Geingob’s support. He said an unprecedented runoff election might be needed if no presidential candidate can get over the 50%-plus-one vote threshold on Wednesday.

Source: thestar November 24, 2019 09:22 UTC