Test of Swapo's grip on power

CHOOSING LEADERS: NAMIBIA ELECTS FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT IN DISPUTED ELECTIONS

Namibia's ruling Swapo party was declared the winner on Tuesday of last week's disputed elections, ushering in the southern African country's first woman president after a disputed vote that the main opposition has already said it does not recognise.

Vice-President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah took just over 57% of ballots, followed by the candidate for the main opposition Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) with 25.5%, the election authority announced.

Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72, becomes the first woman to rule the mineral-rich southern African country that has been governed by Swapo since independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990.

The 27 November election was a test of Swapo's 34-year grip on power, with the IPC attracting some support from younger generations more concerned by unemployment and inequality than loyalty to liberation-era parties.

Voting was extended to 30 November after logistical and technical problems, including a shortage of ballot papers, led to long queues. Some voters gave up on the first day of voting after waiting for up to 12 hours.