Swapo's kingmakers

The run-up to the Swapo elective congress has been plagued by infighting and it is clear the ruling party is struggling to contain the deep-seated differences among members.

While the tug-of-war between supporters of acting president Hage Geingob and those opposed to his candidacy continue to play itself out, at the end of the day it will all boil down to the number of votes. The stakes are high at the upcoming congress and this explains the all-out battle for the control and soul of the ruling party.

It will also be the first time an incumbent state president contests for the presidency of the party.

But which delegates will play a crucial role?

The outcomes of the concluded district conferences, and by extension the regional conferences, have an important bearing on who will become the next Swapo president.

Congress delegates are drawn from 121 Swapo districts, 14 regions, the central committee, women's council, youth league and elders' council.

The National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) is also represented as an affiliate of the ruling party.

Regions such as Omusati, Oshana, Ohangwena and Oshikoto, which have more than ten districts each, make up a significant portion of the delegates and certainly hold the key in the leadership race.

The delegates from these four regions constitute about 35% of the total number of district and regional delegates involved in the process. The regional leaders of these four regions have remained conspicuously silent about who they will support at the congress.



Delegations

Each district will send four delegates to the party congress, representing a total of 484 and a significant 63% of the total delegates.

The regions are allocated ten spots each, which include four nominees for the powerful central committee, the highest decision-making body between congresses. In total, 140 Swapo members will make up the regional delegates at the congress.





The central committee will contribute the third largest number of delegates, with its 70 members assured participation.

In fact the central committee consists of 84 members, but the 14 regional coordinators are counted among the 140 regional delegates.

The Swapo Party Women's Council, which held its elective congress last year already, will be represented by 20 delegates, while the Swapo Party Elders' Council, Swapo Party Youth League and the NUNW will each have 16 delegates.

There will be 762 delegates at this year's congress, with an additional 25 invited guests at the behest of the secretary-general. The invited guests don't have voting rights.



Elections

At the congress delegates vote for the top four positions - the party president, vice-president, secretary-general and deputy secretary-general.

Delegates will also elect new central committee members during the congress.

It is, however, important to note that the central committee is made up of 84 members, including the top four who are directly elected at the congress as well as the elected 14 regional coordinators.

The secretaries of the youth, elders' and women's councils are also part of the central committee, while the NUNW is represented by its leader. The party president has the power to nominate six candidates to the central committee.

Members who are part of the current central committee automatically qualify to contest the 56 positions, if interested, at the congress and will compete against 56 regional delegates.



'Voting cows'

Voting at the congress takes place on an individual basis and is secret, however, delegates may agree beforehand which group of candidates they want to support for the different positions.

The expectation is that delegates will vote for their preferred group of candidates.

While the district delegates appear largely to be the kingmakers in the Swapo elections, they are also seen merely as “voting cows” as most delegates standing for positions such as the central committee and the top four are not necessarily drawn from districts.

FESTUS NAKATANA