Swapo seeks experienced top four

Anybody aspiring to be a candidate for election as Swapo president and vice-president must have been a party member for at least 30 years, of which five must have been as a member of the Central Committee.

These are some of the proposals tabled at a recent Swapo Central Committee meeting. For the secretary-general and deputy secretary-general positions, the minimum membership requirement is 25 years, of which five must have been as a member of the Central Committee.

Swapo spokesperson Helmut Angula said in a statement last week that the proposals had been accepted in principle by the Central Committee.

“The Swapo members at the congress are at liberty to freely choose how they should frame their own rules and govern the party.

“It is therefore only draft proposals by the Swapo Party Department of Information and as such these shall be subject to extensive discussion by legitimately and validly delegated delegates to the Swapo congress,” he said. At the moment a minimum of ten years of continuous membership in Swapo is required for a member to be eligible for election to the Central Committee as well as the top four positions within the party.

Angula dismissed reports last week that aspiring candidates need to have served 30 years in the Central Committee to qualify for the top positions of president and vice-president.



STAFF REPORTER