Editorial: When staying home becomes the loudest vote

The biggest winner in the just-ended regional council and local authority elections was voter apathy. More than half of all registered voters stayed away – 890 436 in the regional council elections, representing 59.36%, and 479 101 in the local authority elections, a staggering 63.71%.



This is a louder statement than any rally or manifesto. While Swapo resurged and reclaimed ground lost in 2020, and while IPC and LPM watched their support evaporate almost as quickly as it rose, the most powerful force shaping this election was quiet disengagement. Voters did not switch sides so much as step back.

After years of stalled service delivery, water shortages, unfinished housing projects and unresponsive councils, many simply concluded that voting no longer changes their daily reality.



The collapse in local authority turnout is especially telling – urban residents, once energised by the promise of new parties in 2020, walked away in 2025, disillusioned by poor performance and internal fights among those they entrusted.



Maybe for Swapo, the lesson is that winning with fewer voters is not the same as winning back trust, while the opposition must learn that protest politics cannot substitute for delivery or structure.