By A Correspondent

As Namibia continues to count votes in its presidential and National Assembly elections, fears of potential rigging have surfaced, particularly following early results that show a commanding lead for the ruling Swapo Party.

In the latest figures released by the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN), the Swapo Party has surged ahead in both the Presidential and National Assembly races, prompting concerns over the transparency and fairness of the electoral process in the November 27 polls.

For the Presidential race, the ECN has reported that 19 out of the country’s 121 constituencies have completed their vote counts.

Swapo’s candidate, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, is currently leading with 60.01% of the vote.

She is followed by Dr. Panduleni Itula of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), who has garnered 23.48%, while the Landless People’s Movement (LPM) candidate, Bernadus Swartbooi, has secured 7.93%.

Meanwhile, in the National Assembly elections, 18 constituencies have concluded their vote tallies.

Swapo continues its strong performance with 52.44%, trailed by IPC with 20.10%, and LPM with 9.50%.

Rigging Fears Amidst Early Results

Despite the early success for Swapo, the early returns have sparked growing concerns about the possibility of electoral manipulation.

Critics, particularly from opposition parties, have raised alarms about the integrity of the election process, pointing to historical allegations of irregularities in Namibia’s elections.