LPM takes full control of Hardap regional council

Ester Mbathera and Charmaine BooisThe Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) has announced the Landless People’s Movement (LPM)’s Densia Swartbooi as the winner for the Mariental Rural Constituency.

This follows Friday’s regionals council election re-run.

Swartbooi won with 1099 votes against Swapo Party’s Simon Kooper, who received 854 votes. Popular Democratic Movement (PDM)’s Stephanus Bloodstaan obtained 97 votes and independent candidate Desmond Tjipanga 46 votes.

The re-run for the constituency seat was as a result of incorrect ballot papers used and one polling point team leaving a voting station too early during the November 2020 regional council elections. 

LPM’s parliamentary spokesperson Utaara Mootu described the election results as the will of the people and that they support the LPM agenda. 

“We celebrate the victory. We are indeed happy. We said this last year that we have won even though ECN decided to take us to court. We told them we are still going to win and we will with even more votes,”said Mootu.

She further expressed satisfaction that voters went out in numbers to have their voices heard.

“The people showed that they are tired of the ruling party government’s failure to equally share the nation’s resources. This is a show that people are tired of corruption, their lives being stagnant and no development,”she said.

Mootu added that LPM will now put its development and change programmes into motion and promised to transform the Hardap region.

Apart from the Mariental Rural Constituency, the party also took control of the Daweb, Gibeon, Mariental Urban, Aranos, Rehoboth rural and Rehoboth urban constituencies. From the November elections, the party managed to send six members to the National Council in Windhoek.

The party also obtained three seats on the

Koës and Stampriet village councils, with the ruling party managing to only get two seats. The two parties have an equal numbers of seats on the Aroab Village Council while the other seat went to PDM.