Namibia’s ruling party Swapo began the most important meetings in its history on Friday to pick a successor to President Sam Nujoma, who has been the dominant political figure in the southern African country for five decades.
”This congress is crucial not only in the history of Swapo, but also in the history of our beloved country,” said Nujoma, opening the congress.
Namibia’s veteran leader called on delegates to elect what he called ”the right and suitable candidate,” who should receive the backing of the entire party.
As Swapo is by far the dominant political force in Namibia the candidate chosen by the congress will most likely become the country’s next president.
Nujoma (75) has ruled Namibia since independence in 1990 after leading the struggle against apartheid South Africa for three decades as the president of Swapo, the South West Africa People’s Organisation.
He is due to step down following elections in November, heralding a new era in Namibia, a former German colony that was later ruled by Pretoria when it was called South-West Africa.
Nujoma stressed to his party that ”experience from Africa proves that leadership transition can be difficult,” and he hoped that in Namibia it would take place in a ”fair, democratic and transparent” fashion.
Nujoma last month announced he would not be seeking a fourth term in office and would hand over the reins when his term ends in March next year in what will be the first transition of power in Namibia since independence.
The political temperature was on the rise ahead of the historic meeting, the first time three candidates have run for the party’s top position.
All were nominated during a special central committee meeting last month, and will be standing for election by some 600 delegates attending the meeting in the capital.
Nujoma on Monday fired his former foreign minister Hidipo Hamutenya –one of the three candidates in the running to succeed him.
The shock move has fuelled speculation over the outcome of the congress.
On Thursday, a defiant Hamutenya told a press conference: ”I am still a candidate and also still a member of the party’s politburo and the central committee as well as a member of parliament.
”I intend to remain in this race. I have tried to run a clean campaign, one that steered clear of mudslinging and character assassination,” he added.
The other contenders in the race are Hifikepunye Pohamba, the party vice-president hand-picked by Nujoma to be his successor, and Nahas Angula the country’s higher education minister, who on Wednesday told reporters he never had ”any strong presidential ambitions before” being nominated.
Angula said he would stand for the position ”to serve the Namibian people”.
”I am not doing this for power or glory, but to serve the Namibian people,” he said.
Land Affairs Minister Pohamba has declined to make statements or give interviews.
But the days leading up to the conference swirled with political intrigue, including Hamutenya’s sacking and the congress venue being kept secret to confuse the estimated 600 delegates in a campaign ”to benefit Nujoma’s candidate, Pohamba” local media reports said.
Local human rights organisations have also accused Nujoma’s office of waging a ”dirty tricks campaign”, characterised by disinformation, bribery, intimidation, smear tactics, mudslinging and general demonisation aimed at two of the three
Swapo presidential hopefuls, Hamutenya and Angula.
Other observers have suggested that Nujoma himself may step in to ”restore the chaos within the party” and give himself a fourth term in office.
Nujoma and Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe are the only leaders in sub-Saharan Africa still in power since independence. – Sapa-AFP