First woman sworn in as President after chaotic elections

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah was on Friday sworn in as Namibia’s first woman President, after winning elections last year that extended the governing party’s 35-year grip on power, reports Al Jazeera. Nandi-Ndaitwah (72) became one of the few women leaders on the African continent, following a ceremony attended by heads of state from several African countries including Angola, South Africa and Tanzania. Outgoing President Nangolo Mbumba handed power to Nandi-Ndaitwah at a ceremony that coincided with the 35th anniversary of Namibia’s independence. In her inaugural speech, Nandi-Ndaitwah acknowledged her historic election, but also said that Namibians elected her for her competence and merit. She added that while the country has seen progress since independence, ‘there’s a lot that needs to be done’, Previously in the post of Vice-President for a year, she is a veteran of the South West Africa People’s Organisation (Swapo) that led the sparsely populated and uranium-rich country to independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990. Nandi-Ndaitwah secured 58% of the vote in the chaotic November elections, which were extended several times after logistical failures led to major delays.

Full Al Jazeera report