Luanda - The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, is to travel Thursday to Windhoek, with the aim to attend the inauguration of the new Namibian Head of State, Ms Netumbo Nandi-Nadaitwah, elected in November 2024, the Press Services of the Presidency of the Republic informed Wednesday, in Luanda.
The swearing-in of the one who is also the leader of the South West African People's Organisation (SWAPO), Namibia’s ruling party, which will make her the country's fifth President, will take place at the Independence Stadium, as it was with her predecessors, in a ceremony that will be held on the same date of the country's 35th anniversary of independence.
Several heads of state and government were invited to participate in the event, including the President of Angola, who is also the current Leader of the African Union, João Lourenço.
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah won the seventh general elections, held in November last year, with 57% of the total votes of two million voters, in what was considered one of the most difficult elections for the SWAPO party, which has been in power for 35 years.
She will succeed the acting President Nangolo Mbumba, who took over after the death of Hage Geingob in February 2024.
Netumbo’s main opponent, Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) candidate, Panduleni Itula, came in second with 25.50% of the vote.
One of the new President's main challenges, launched during the campaign, is the need to attract investment “through political diplomacy” being committed to create more than 250,000 jobs in five years.
The new head of state, 72, wants to focus on reducing high youth unemployment rates, an issue she has promised to tackle with investments in green energy, agriculture and infrastructure.
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