By Nyasha Nyaungwa WINDHOEK (Reuters) -Voters waited in long queues outside polling stations in Namibia's capital Windhoek on Wednesday morning to cast their ballots for a new president and parliament in what could be a tough election to win for the ruling SWAPO party.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Namibians queue to cast their votes in a presidential election in Windhoek, Namibia Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024 ...

Bernadus Swartbooi (47 ): He leads the Landless People’s Movement (LPM) which campaigns for land redistribution to Namibians whose land was dispossessed by German settlers in the 1900s. The LPM has four seats in parliament. In 2019, Swartbooi, formerly of SWAPO, won 3 percent of the vote.

McHenry Venaani (47): He is the leader of the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), Namibia’s largest opposition party. Although the party holds 16 out of 96 seats in parliament, the most after SWAPO, Venaani only managed to clinch 5% of the votes in 2019 when he ran for president.

Namibians go to the polls on Wednesday to elect a new president and parliament in what could be a tough election for the ruling SWAPO party, which is seeking to extend its 34-year rule. SWAPO has governed the southern African nation since leading it to independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990.

Namibia is holding elections today, with its history of genocide, SWAPO party leadership, drought challenges, and uranium exports all playing a big role in shaping the voters’ decision

Namibia’s Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah could become the country’s first female president if she wins the presidential election Wednesday.

Namibians will vote on Wednesday in what is expected to be the most competitive election yet for the ruling SWAPO party, which has governed the southern African nation for 34 years.

Namibia's vice president was among the first voters in elections Wednesday that could see her become the desert nation's first woman leader, even as her ruling SWAPO party faces a

Namibia's SWAPO, in power since 1990, may see a decline in Wednesday's elections but faces no imminent collapse. Across southern Africa, support for long-standing ruling parties has dwindled over the past year.