Windhoek: Swapo Party vice president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has defended her position as the party’s presidential nominee for the upcoming presidential elections next year. Speaking to party members at a rally in the Sam Nujoma Stadium on Saturday, Nandi-Ndaitwah addressed the internal party dissent regarding her candidacy.
According to Namibia Press Agency (NAMPA), she was elected at the party congress last year alongside the Swapo president, secretary general, deputy secretary general, and members of the central committee. Despite this, she highlighted resistance from some members within the Khomas Region, noting that the majority of the party across the country has accepted the outcome of the seventh Swapo ordinary congress.
Nandi-Ndaitwah, also serving as the deputy prime minister and minister of international relations and cooperation, was elected as Swapo vice president during the party’s ordinary congress in November 2022. Her election positioned her as the ruling party’s prospective presidential candidate for the 2024 elections, after competing against Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila and Pohamba Shifeta, the minister of environment and tourism.
However, not all members of Swapo have endorsed Nandi-Ndaitwah’s candidacy, with some calling for an extraordinary congress to nominate a presidential candidate. Swapo Secretary General Sophia Shaningwa dismissed these calls, stating that an extraordinary congress would only be viable if top leadership positions within the party were vacated.
Shaningwa emphasized President Hage Geingob’s commitment to the party and his refusal to damage his image as the leader of both the party and the country. Geingob has reportedly communicated his intentions to remain in his position, ruling out the possibility of an extraordinary congress.