1989 Namibian parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections were held in Namibia between 7 and 11 November 1989. These elections were for the Constituent Assembly of Namibia, which, upon independence in March 1990, became the National Assembly of Namibia.

1989 Namibian parliamentary election

7–11 November 1989
72 of the 78 seats in the Constituent Assembly 37 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Leader Sam Nujoma Mishake Muyongo Justus ǁGaroëb Party SWAPO DTA UDF Seats won 41 21 4 Popular vote 384,567 191,532 37,874 Percentage 57.33% 28.55% 5.65%
Elected President Sam Nujoma SWAPO

Background

The elections were facilitated by the United Nations, after the withdrawal of South African troops from South West Africa (present day Namibia) after the 1988 Tripartite Accords. The UN established the United Nations Transition Assistance Group and through its resolutions 629, 632, 640 and 643 in 1989, implemented the United Nations plan for Namibia in resolution 435 (1978) to help secure free and fair elections, and eventually, the country's independence. The United Nations plan included overview by foreign election observers who monitored the election process. The work of foreign observers helped to ensure that the elections were certified as free and fair by the UN Special Representative.

701,483 people registered to vote, with 680,788 casting votes, a voter turnout of 97%.

Identification badge of a Foreign Observer issued during the 1989 election - (Chesley V. Morton of the Georgia House of Representatives)

Results

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	SWAPO	384,567	57.33	41
	Democratic Turnhalle Alliance	191,532	28.55	21
	United Democratic Front	37,874	5.65	4
	Action Christian National	23,728	3.54	3
	National Patriotic Front	10,693	1.59	1
	Federal Convention of Namibia	10,452	1.56	1
	Namibia National Front	5,344	0.80	1
	SWAPO Democrats	3,161	0.47	0
	Christian Democratic Action for Social Justice	2,495	0.37	0
	National Democratic Party	984	0.15	0
Appointed members				6
Total		670,830	100.00	78
Valid votes		670,830	98.54
Invalid/blank votes		9,958	1.46
Total votes		680,788	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		701,483	97.05
Source: African Elections Database

Aftermath

Following the election SWAPO supporters celebrated across Windhoek, especially in the segregated and predominantly black township of Katutura. Dirk Mudge, chairman of the DTA, pledged to work with the SWAPO government in moving towards independence and national development. Support for the DTA and UDF was strong in the former bantustans, including Hereroland and Damaraland.

As a result of SWAPO's election victory, its then president Sam Nujoma was unanimously declared President of Namibia, and was sworn in by UN Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar on 21 March 1990. Since then Namibia has held both presidential elections and parliamentary elections every five years.

External links

• Reprint of "Namibian Voters Deny Total Power to SWAPO" by Michael Johns, The Wall Street Journal, November 19, 1989.