List of political parties in Namibia
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Namibia is a one party dominant state with the South-West Africa People's Organisation in power. Opposition parties are allowed, but are widely considered to have no real chance of gaining power. In Namibian politics, ethnicity plays a significant role in party affiliation and voting behaviour. Some parties are dominated by single ethnic groups; SWAPO itself, its government, and administration, is pre-dominantly Ovambo.[1]
Parties with parliamentary seats[]
Parties with seats in the National Assembly of Namibia after the 2019 elections:
Unrepresented parties[]
The following parties contested the 2019 parliamentary elections but did not gain a seat, in the order of votes obtained:[2]
- Congress of Democrats (CoD)
- National Democratic Party (NDP). The NDP gained a seat in the Katima Mulilo town council in the 2020 local authority election.[3]
- Workers Revolutionary Party (WRP)
- National Patriotic Front (NPF)
New parties[]
The following parties were established after the last parliamentary elections in 2019:[4]
- Independent Patriots for Change (IPC). In 2020 it won the municipal elections in the commercial hubs Walvis Bay and Swakopmund,[5] and 29 seats in different constituencies in Northern Namibia, hitherto considered an impenetrable SWAPO stronghold.[6]
- (NEFC)
Parties of local relevance[]
The following parties did not contest the 2019 general elections but took part in the 2020 local authority election, and gained seats:[7]
- Gobabis Residents' Association, 1 seat in Gobabis
- , 1 seat in Karibib
- Monitor Action Group, 1 seat in Outjo
- , 1 seat in Okahandja
- , 1 seat in Omaruru
- , 1 seat in Rehoboth
- United People's Movement (UPM), 1 seat in Rehoboth
- , 1 seat in Rundu
- , 1 seat in Rundu
- , 2 seats in Swakopmund
- , 1 seat in Walvis Bay
- The Affirmative Repositioning (AR) movement was registered for the 2020 local elections as an association in the urban centres of Windhoek, Walvis Bay and Swakopmund.[4] It gained two seats in the Windhoek municipality and won the 2020 mayoral election with Job Amupanda.
Defunct parties[]
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- National parties
- Communist Party of Namibia
- Democratic Action for Namas
- Democratic Party of Namibia (DPN)
- Namibia African People's Democratic Organisation
- Namibian Democratic Movement for Change
- National Progressive Party
- United Nama Independence People's Party
- United Namib Independence Party
- United Namibia People's Party
- Local parties
- Banned parties
References[]
- ^ Düsing, Sandra (2002). Traditional Leadership and Democratisation in Southern Africa: A Comparative Study of Botswana, Namibia, and Southern Africa. Studien zur Politikwissenschaft. LIT Verlag Münster. pp. 125–126. ISBN 9783825850654.
- ^ a b Iikela, Sakeus (2 December 2019). "Reduced victory ... Swapo, Geingob drop votes". The Namibian. p. 1.
- ^ "Publication of results and particulars in respect of general elections for local authority councils: Electoral Act, 2014" (pdf). Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia. No. 7497. Government of Namibia. 1 April 2021. p. 21.
- ^ a b Iikela, Sakeus (23 September 2020). "ECN registers 22 associations". The Namibian.
- ^ "2020 Local Authority Elections Results and Allocation of Seats" (PDF). Electoral Commission of Namibia. 29 November 2020. p. 6. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
- ^ Eliaser Ndeyanale (29 November 2020): Swapo loses 29 local council seats in the north. The Namibian
- ^ "2020 Local Authority Elections Results and Allocation of Seats" (PDF). Electoral Commission of Namibia. 29 November 2020. p. 2. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
- ^ Staff writer (11 September 2006). "Caprivi Political Party Declared Illegal". IRIN (via afrol News). Retrieved 25 March 2011.
- Lists of political parties by country
- Political parties in Namibia
- Namibia politics-related lists
- Lists of organisations based in Namibia
- Lists of political parties in Africa