WINDHOEK: Namibia's Hage Geingob must be the envy of democratic politicians around the world.
Before a single vote was cast in Friday's general election, the 73-year-old veteran prime minister could be almost certain of becoming the next president of his country.
A member of the SWAPO party, which has governed Namibia since independence in 1990, Geingob strolled confidently over the chewing gum-stained floor of a community hall in Windhoek's Katutura township early Friday to cast his ballot.
Wearing a casual short-sleeved black shirt patterned with gold baobab trees and thatched huts, he gave no hint this may be the biggest day of his political career.
Fielding questions about poverty and land ownership in the southern African nation with apparent ease, he leaned easily on a life-time of political activism and the safety of knowing that SWAPO is still considered the natural party of government.
"We have plans," he said. "We are not a new party."
His wide-rimmed glasses and a tuft of greying hair on his chin gave the appearance of a charismatic sociology lecturer or library leftist.
Geingob's partner Monica Kalondo -- he divorced his first wife -- earlier gave a hint that the presumptive president was already looking beyond the vote.
As polls opened, she tweeted: "Me: are you tense? Him: yes. Me: *confused look*. Him: It's not about winning, it's the responsibility that comes with it."
But despite SWAPO's towering advantage, as parties from Mexico's PRI to the Liberals of 1920 Britain know, incumbency is ephemeral.
Geingob's first major test will come as soon as the results are announced.
He is likely to receive less than the 76 percent his predecessor Hifikepunye Pohamba garnered at the last elections in 2009.
Will he be disappointed if SWAPO gets less than that?
"No," he told AFP gruffly as he prepared to cast his ballot.
But anything significantly less would put his leadership immediately in the spotlight.
In any eventuality he will have to quickly stop the softening of support for SWAPO if the party wants to see 25 more years in power.
To do that Geingob, seen as a party centrist, has to strike a precarious balance between reminding the country of his party's liberation heroics, and convincing this young country's voters that he can bring change.
The man who once lived in exile as a SWAPO representative in Botswana and the United States during South Africa's rule, has vowed to bring "economic emancipation".
"You are voting for a change," he said Friday, quickly adding "but change within SWAPO."
- 'Promoting Democracy' -
Born on August 3 1941 in a village in northern Namibia, Geingob will become the country's first president from outside the Ovambo ethnic group.
But he is no stranger to power, having served as the country's first prime minister from 1990 to 2002.
After a spell in the political wilderness he returned to the prime minister's office in 2012.
Health scares and brain surgery last year looked like ensuring he would be always the bridesmaid and never the bride, but he has apparently been given a clean bill of health.
Before politics Geingob worked for the United Nations on governance issues. His doctoral thesis at the University of Leeds, in Britain, was titled "State Formation in Namibia: Promoting Democracy and Good Governance".
After decades of waiting he now he gets the chance to put his words into action.
Comments
Comments are closed.