Namibia Faces Voting Delays Amid Technical Issues

Namibia's presidential and legislative elections faced significant disruptions, with thousands of voters queuing for up to 12 hours due to technical issues and ballot shortages. Polling stations remained open overnight as the Electoral Commission extended voting hours, prompting accusations from opposition parties that the delays were intentional to suppress voter turnout. The elections, which could see a historic outcome with the potential election of the first female president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah of the ruling SWAPO party, have highlighted frustrations over the high youth unemployment rate of 46%. Voters expressed disappointment with the electoral process, with many citing failures on the part of the Electoral Commission. Technical problems, including malfunctioning voter identification tablets and insufficient ballot papers, compounded the chaos. First results from the elections are expected by Saturday, with the possibility of a second round of voting being unprecedented since the country's independence.