Namibia extends voting due to logistical problems, opposition alleges fraud

NEWS WIRES

29 November 2024 at 10:33 am·1-min read

A woman casts her vote at a polling station in Windhoek on November 29, 2024, during extended voting following the country's general election.

Namibians returned to the polls Friday, two days after the first ballots were cast in the general elections following widespread frustration with technical and logistical problems. Voting was extended into the weekend, a move challenged by the main opposition party as illegal.

Voting in Namibia for a new president and parliament has been extended into the weekend by the electoral agency due to shortages of ballot papers, a move challenged by the main opposition which is alleging fraud.

The southern African country’s elections management body said polling stations that should have closed on Wednesday will now close on Saturday night after some ran out of ballot papers. The opposition Independent Patriots for Change party on Friday claimed that the extension is illegal.

Namibia’s electoral issues come as Mozambique is engulfed in violent unrest after the long-ruling Frelimo party was declared the winner of an election in October, prompting claims of vote rigging and sparking ongoing violent protests against the party.

Electoral officials assured voters that ballot papers were on the way, but many were doubtful.

(AP)

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