afrol News, 1 June - Namibian Lands Minister, SWAPO presidential candidate, Hifikepunye Pohamba, this weekend was chosen the ruling SWAPO party's candidate for this year's presidential elections. Minister Pohamba was President Sam Nujoma's favourite candidate and is believed to continue on SWAPO's radicalisation. He is almost guaranteed of winning the presidential poll.
Namibia's totally dominant SWAPO party - which led the country to independence and counts on enormous trust in the population - this weekend entered a new era. A Windhoek party congress decided on the succession of 75-year-old President Nujoma, who led the party as it still was a rebel group fighting apartheid South Africa's occupation of Namibia.
Mr Nujoma is Namibia's first and only President since independence in 1990. His role as the republic's "founding President" gave him an earmarked position in the constitution, permitting him to stand three presidential terms as opposed to two terms for his successors. In end-2004, Mr Nujoma's time is however out and the popular party leader has had to name his successor.
President Nujoma in April announced that he definitively would step down and not seek a constitutional amendment, to allow him an fourth term. This led to the painful search for a new SWAPO presidential candidate. Three candidates came up, almost splitting the forceful ruling party.
Foreign Affairs Minister Hidipo Hamutenya was the favourite candidate of the party moderates, who want to stop the radicalisation of SWAPO. Mr Hamutenya however quickly was met with a smearing campaign from the party's top leadership, including President Nujoma, who called him an "agent of imperialists". On 25 May, the President sacked Mr Hamutenya from the Foreign Ministry, further contributing to diminish his chances at the SWAPO congress.
Education Minister Nahas Angula has been the second nominee to SWAPO's presidential candidate race. A consensus-builder, Mr Angula stands between the radical and the moderate block. Also the Education Minister was the victim of "dirty tricks" from the SWAPO leadership, but he managed to keep his position throughout the race.
President Nujoma made it clear that his preferred candidate was Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation Minister Pohamba. The candidate spoke the same language as the symbol-loaded Namibian President - who has led SWAPO and Namibia on a radical road towards President Mugabe's Zimbabwe - mostly in rhetoric, less in acts.
As Lands Minister, Mr Pohamba has been able to demonstrate that he is serious in the government's attempt to speed up land reform and redistribute lands from the white minority to the black majority of Namibians. Using a hard language, Minister Pohamba however in practical terms has avoided all the traps of Zimbabwe's land reform.
The 68-year-old's public appearance is effect-fully hard on whites, while he has assured foreign funding of a peaceful and orderly land reform. If - or when - Mr Pohamba becomes Namibia's second President, he is "expected to speed up the land reform," according to analysts in Namibia.
At this weekends SWAPO congress, Mr Pohamba won the nomination after a second round of voting, in which he received 341 votes to Mr Hamutenya's 167. The winner cheered what he called a SWAPO "vote for continuity."
- I will devote my time to the improvement of the well-being of the Namibian people and the preservation of peace and democracy, Mr Pohamba was quoted as saying in his acceptance speech by 'The Namibian'. After the final result was announced, Mr Hamutenya immediately embraced Mr Pohamba and pledged his full co-operation with him, the Windhoek daily reports.
The new SWAPO presidential candidate, who is also the party's Vice President, will have some busy months ahead of him in the run-up to the November elections. "In the next few days and weeks, consultations will start in the party structures to develop the manifesto," he announced.
A split in the SWAPO party was also avoided as both Mr Hamutenya and Mr Angula declared the party vote had been free and fair and pledged to support Mr Pohamba in the November poll. "We have set a good example," former Foreign Minister Hamutenya told 'The Namibian', referring to the SWAPO election process.
In Namibia's upcoming presidential poll, SWAPO is believed to have a certain victory. The Namibian people at large supports the ex-liberation fighters who secured independence only 14 years ago. The opposition is split and many parties have their roots in the former apartheid system. While the opposition is steadily growing, few observers think 2004 will be the year when SWAPO loses its control over Namibian voters.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
front page
| news
| countries
| archive
| currencies
| news alerts login
| about afrol News
| contact
| advertise
| español