EDITORIAL: Early signs of this election

Results of this week’s special voting have given us a glance at things to come in the main election.Early indications are that all the main parties are limping like a wounded buffalo. They have shed support, although they still have a chance to rectify this at the main election on 27 November, where the dynamics will be slightly different.It is known, for example, that all those who voted inside Namibia on Wednesday – namely members of the security cluster and seagoing personnel – have jobs.One could argue that thorny social issues, such as youth unemployment and poverty in general, played a limited role in shaping these results.The ethnic makeup of our security cluster could also be at play, following years of complaints that it is not inclusive enough.If that school of thought is applied, it could lead us to conclude that many voters cast their votes along tribal lines – hence the outcome.The votes from the diaspora are perhaps more generic and more helpful in analysing the results. While some in the opposition have dismissed these as votes from diplomats and their children, it is worth noting that our foreign missions operate on skeleton staff and most of these voters have no connection to the embassies.Another trend to watch closely is the promising performance of the youth-centric Affirmative Repositioning Party, which seems to have captured the imagination of young voters, the most disenfranchised demographic in our country.But amid all this, it would be foolhardy for anyone to swallow the early results hook, line and sinker. November 27 will be a different ball game.

EDITORIAL: Early signs of this election

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-07-01

Please login to leave a comment

EDITORIAL: Early signs of this election

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-07-01

Please login to leave a comment

Login