Namibia's President Hifikepunye Pohamba, who is among a host of candidates competing for the presidential elections has kicked off his campaign rallying for votes.
Namibia, a vast southwestern African country of slightly over 2 million people goes to the polls on Nov. 27 and 29 2009 to either re-indorse Pohamba the incumbent, which is the most likely scenario, or to elect a new president and 72 parliamentarians.
In recent weeks Pohamba, widely seen as the favourite to retain the presidency, has criss-crossed Namibia canvassing for votes. Pohamba in his messages has mainly been telling the electorate that Swapo the ruling party
has brought about development such as the construction of new roads, hospitals, clinics, creating employment while the government spending more on education.
Pohamba and other members of Swapo, a party that fought for Namibia's independence, has reiterated that under the Swapo Party government Namibia has largely seen economic development and has been an oasis of peace and stability.
Pohamba said when Swapo came to power almost two decades ago many Namibians, particularly in rural areas wallowed in poverty and did not have
access to potable water and to electricity.
On Saturday Pohamba again addressed a political rally at Keetmanshoop, the regional capital of Karas in southern Namibia, which was attended by a partisan crowd of several hundreds clad in red, blue and green the ruling
Swapo party's colours.
During Saturday's rally, Pohamba paid homage to Hendrik Witbooi, a man of the cloth who was a party stalwart and former freedom fighter who
recently succumbed to cancer and was buried at his home village at Gibeon because of his pastoral simplicity.
The other candidates vying for the presidency are former Swapo member Hidipo Hamutenya who formed the opposition Rally for Progress and
Development (RDP) after he had fallen out with other comrades in Swapo, who accused him of being power-hungry.
Katuutire Kaura of the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) is also contesting and so is Ben Ulenga of the Congress of Democrats (CoD) and
Ignatius Shihwameni of the minority All People's Congress (APP). Whiles other presidential contenders are Henk Mudge of the Republican Party (RP) and Kuaima Riruako of the National Unity Democratic Organisation (NUDO).
The 14 political parties fielding a record 1,008 candidates for 72 parliamentary seats are: APP, DTA, CoD, Swapo, NUDO, RP, Monitor Aksie
Groupe (MAG), United Democratic Front of Namibia (UDF), and the South West Africa National Union (SWANU). Though the presidential race is equally
crowded the only exceptions are the National Democratic Party (NDP) of Martin Lukato and the MAG.
Issues that dominate Namibia's politics are the high unemployment rate that stands at a record 40 percent, HIV/AIDS and the issue of the provision of a quality education and health services.
Ballot papers that were printed in South Africa arrived in Namibia on Saturday through the Hosea Kutako International Airport amid tight security.
Formerly a colony of a minority South African regime, Namibia is rich is uranium, diamonds, natural gas, gold, copper, diverse game species and is also endowed with a wide array of marine species.