At Stake in this Election:  

• The Presidency of Namibia 

The election for the National Assembly is occurring concurrently. 

Government Structure:  

• Chief of State: Acting President Nangolo MBUMBA (since 4 February 2024) 

• • President Hage GEINGOB died on 4 February, leading Vice President Nangolo MBUMBA to become Acting President. 

• Head of Government: Acting President Nangolo MBUMBA (since 4 February 2024) 

• Assembly: bicameral Parliament with 42 seat National Council and 104 seat National Assembly 

Electoral System:   

• The President is elected by absolute majority vote in up to two rounds to a 5-year term, once renewable. 

• All 42 members of the National Council are indirectly elected by the 14 regional councils to 5-year terms. 

• 96 of the 104 members of the National Assembly are elected in multi-seat constituencies via closed-list proportional representation to 5-year terms. The remaining 8 members are appointed by the President and are non-voting. 

Last Election:  

In the presidential election 2019, Hage Gottfried GEINGOB of the SWAPO Party of Namibia won in the first round with 56% of the vote. Voter turnout was 61%. 

Information for Voters: 

Namibia Votes 2024: Presidential and National Assembly Elections Frequently Asked Questions (in English) 

New/Unique in this Election: 

In October 2024, Namibia amended electoral laws to help public sector workers run for National Assembly seats. Changes include allowing public sector workers to utilize paid leave to participate in the National Assembly and giving public sector employees over the age of 55 who have been elected to the National Assembly the ability to retire early. Additionally, the amendment requires members of the National Council, regional councils, and local authority councils who have been elected to the National Assembly to resign from their council seats prior to taking office as assembly members. 

Key Deadlines:  

• Candidate filing deadline: 16 October 2024 

• Voter registration deadline: 1 August 2024 

Main Candidates in this Election:  

• Erastus SHUUMBWA 

• • Party: Action Democratic Movement   

• Job Shipululo AMUPANDA 

• • Party: Affirmative Repositioning 

• Ambrosius KUMBWA 

• • Party: All People’s Party 

• Festus THOMAS 

• • Party: Body of Christ Party 

• Vaino AMUTHENU 

• • Party: Congress of Democrats 

• Panduleni Filemon Bango ITULA 

• • Party: Independent Patriots for Change 

• Bernadus SWARTBOOI 

• • Party: Landless People’s Movement 

• Jan Epafras Mulinasho MUKWIILONGO 

• • Party: Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters 

• McHenry Mike Kanjonokere VENANI 

• • Party: Popular Democratic Movement 

• Kamboto Ratoveni Mike KAVEKOTORA 

• • Party: Rally for Democracy and Progress 

• Henry MUDGE 

• • Party: Republican Party of Namibia 

• Evalistus KAARONDA 

• • Party: SWANU of Namibia 

• Netumbo Ndemupelila NANDI-NDAITWAH 

• • Party: SWAPO Party of Namibia 

• Hendrik GAOBAEB 

• • Party: United Democratic Front of Namibia 

• Sakaria Amos LIKUWA 

• • Party: United Namibians Party  

Population and Registered Voters: 

• Population:  2,604,172 (2023 est.) 

• Registered Voters: 1,467,604 (2024) 

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 1,347,919 (2023 est.) 

• CEDAW Status: Acceded 23 Nov 1992 

• Gender Quota: No 

• Female Candidates in this election: Yes 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 6 of 42 (14%) in the National Council and 52 of 104 (50%) in the National Assembly  

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.610, Medium, rank 142 (2022) 

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: 27.6 (2023) 

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Signed 25 Apr 2007, Ratified 04 Dec 2007 

• Projected population with a disability: 416,668 (2023 est.) 

IFES Resources: 

• Does IFES have a presence in Namibia: No 

• Election Access: Yes