Staff Reporter
THE updated information from the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) reveals that the country has twenty-one registered political parties, and a few of them have already started gradually increasing their activities and countrywide visibility in anticipation of the 27 November presidential and national assembly elections. However, other parties are either dormant or struggling to get off the ground.
As expected, the ruling Swapo party is one of the most visible countrywide, along with the official opposition, the PDM, and the Independent Patriots for Change, IPC. Other political parties registered with the ECN include:
All People’s Party (APP)
Body of Christ Party (BCP)
Christian Democratic Voice Party (CDV)
Congress of Democrats (CoD)
Democratic Party of Namibia (DPN)
Landless People’s Movement (LPM)
Monitor Action GROUP (MAG)
Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF)
National Democratic Party of Namibia (NDP)
National Empowerment Fighting Corruption (NEFC)
National Patriotic Front Of Namibia (NPF)
National Unity Democratic Organisation of Namibia (NUDO)
Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP)
Republican Party of Namibia (RP)
Swanu of Namibia (SWANU)
United Democratic Front of Namibia (UDF)
United People’s Movement (UPM)
Workers Revolutionary Party (WRP)
The principal object of a political party — according to Section 135(2)(a) of the Electoral Act — includes participation in, and promotion of elections by nominating candidates and canvassing votes for such candidates. Some of the registered parties, such as MAG, have not participated in the general elections for over a decade.
