Namibians voted on Friday in a general election billed as Africa’s first e-vote using voting machines made in India, with the ruling party expected to retain power in the country it has run since independence.
Polling nationwide began at 0500 GMT across the country, with voters standing in long lines before daybreak including some first-time “born free” voters — those born after Namibia gained independence from South Africa in 1990.
“It’s a rich country with poor people, so I hope there is more balance,” said 43-year-old Elias while waiting to cast his vote.
The ruling South West Africa People’s Organisation - better known as SWAPO — was forged from the embers of the anti-colonial and anti-apartheid struggle and has won every election in the 24 years since Namibia’s independence.