WINDHOEK, Namibia (AP) — A 72-year-old woman who joined Namibia's independence movement in the 1970s is a strong contender to become its first female leader as the country votes in a presidential election on Wednesday.

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.

Namibia's eighth presidential and National Assembly elections kicked off early on Wednesday, with 15 presidential candidates and 21 political parties vying for leadership.

If things work out as Namibia’s long-time governing party hopes, the country will be electing its first female head of state this week. But a mood of disillusionment with liberation movements in southern Africa,

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

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'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.