SADC ruling parties shaken up

As Namibians head to the polls for special voting today, the perceived domino effect befalling ruling parties in the region has claimed another scalp after the opposition toppled the ruling alliance in Mauritius this week.

On Monday evening, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth conceded defeat to the political opposition, just a week after the ruling party and former liberation movement, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), was voted out of power in Botswana after 58 years.

Amidst the multiple elections taking place within the Southern African Development Community (SADC), there are rising allegations that Zimbabwe's ruling party, Zanu-PF, is interfering in regional electoral processes.

Zimbabwean president and Zanu-PF leader Emmerson Mnangagwa currently serves as the SADC chairperson.

Speculation abounds

Officials from Namibia's ruling party, Swapo, in particular secretary general Sophia Shaningwa and labour minister Utoni Nujoma, have reportedly made separate trips to Harare recently but declined to disclose the nature of their visits.

Voice of America reported last month that opposition activists in Botswana marched in protest, alleging a conspiracy by Zimbabwe’s government to help the BDP hold onto power.

In Mozambique the liberation movement, Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), was declared the winner of the recent national elections, though the opposition claims the results were rigged.

Mnangagwa stirred up a hornet's nest when he congratulated Frelimo on its win while counting was still underway. Mozambique is currently gripped by violent protests amid the disputed election results.

Zimbabwean media outlet The Mirror has also reported that it has uncovered that several Zimbabwean nationals were registered and voted illegally in the Mozambican election.

“One voter interviewed by The Mirror claimed she was voting in the Mozambican elections because they need to help their neighbours,” the Mirror reported.

Local outlook

Meanwhile, in Namibia, political analyst Henning Melber argues that Swapo has comparative advantages, but there is growing frustration among voters and that voter support is on the decline.

He predicts that Swapo is poised to lose in the presidential race but might still be strong in parliament.

“An unlikely but possible scenario would be an elected president coming from outside Swapo, while Swapo dominates the National Assembly. The head of state has far-reaching executive powers. But he or she would then have to work with ministers and deputy ministers drawn from a parliament dominated by Swapo,” said Melber.

He, however, questioned whether such a constellation would complicate governance and risk making a non-Swapo president a lame duck. At the same time, he noted that it would be a litmus test for the country’s constitutional democracy and rule of law.

Swapo confident

Shaningwa dismissed any chances of Swapo losing power, saying any notion that the ruling party is on shaky grounds is a baseless “myth”.

Shaningwa made these remarks during a Swapo rally in Nkurenkuru on Sunday.

“Wherever Swapo has gathered, our tents are full, and the optimism is clear. I will not accept anyone claiming that Swapo will lose," she insisted.

"There is a myth going around, suggesting that we should worry. But why should we? We have thousands of supporters who openly declare their love for Swapo. There is no reason for concern. We are going to vote accurately, and we are going to vote for our presidential candidate, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah."

Swapo is facing questions about its track record in recent years, amid soaring youth unemployment, deteriorating infrastructure and poor service delivery.

- Additional reporting by Nikanor Nangolo

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