Namibia’s Hage Geingob Wins Re-Election

Namibian President Hage Geingob has been re-elected for a second term, according to the country’s electoral commission.

Mr Geingob won 56.3% of votes during the poll held on Wednesday, with his nearest rival, Panduleni Itula only taking 29.4% of votes.

Despite the decisive victory for the incumbent, Mr Geingob’s share of the vote has decreased dramatically, down from 87% in 2014.

His party, Swapo, has held power since Namibia gained its independence from South Africa nearly three decades ago.

Mr Geingob thanked his supporters on social media, promising improvements to their everyday lives.

His party has been hit by a recent corruption scandal, after two former government ministers were arrested for allegedly taking bribes to grant licenses to Icelandic fishing company Samherji.

Former Fisheries Minister Bernard Esau and former Justice Minister Sakeus Shanghala have both been charged with money laundering and fraud.

Following the announcement of results, Mr Geingob said “I am just a proud Namibian that we could have free and fair election, no fighting, no attacking each other, free movement was allowed”.

However, his main rival, Itula, said he is considering legal action following what he saw as “anomalies and irregularities” in the election.