OWN CORRESPONDENT, Windhoek | Wednesday 10.00pm.
THE Namibian government has introduced a bill to parliament to alter the constitution to allow President Sam Njoma a third term in office.
Controversy has surrounded the mooted legislation. Prime Minister Hage Geingob, introducing the Namibian Constitution Amendment Bill to the national Assembly on Wednesday, was greeted by a House that was so angry and uproarious that Speaker Mose Tjitendero threatened to halt parliamentary business for the day. Opposition MPs wore black armbands to mourn the death of democracy in Namibia.
Despite constant heckling, Geingob explained that Njoma was not motivated by personal gain or a desire for power, but by “higher national interest”.
“Stability in a comparatively young, still-developing and fragile nation … requires experienced leadership that enjoys virtually unanimous respect and affection among all parts of our nation,” he said.
Thus far the Namibian constitution limits a president to two five-year terms.
The ruling South West Africa People’s Organisation has more than the required two-thirds majority in the National Assembly to change the constitution, which has not been amended since it was implemented at independence in 1990. Nujoma has been president since independence.