Test of Swapo's grip on power

CHOOSING LEADERS: NAMIBIA ELECTS FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT IN DISPUTED ELECTIONS

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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.