Supreme Court Rejects IPC and LPM’s Election Challenge

Windhoek, Namibia – Namibia’s Supreme Court has dismissed a case filed by the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) and the Landless People’s Movement (LPM) challenging the results of the 2024 Presidential and National Assembly elections. Chief Justice Peter Shivute ruled that each party must pay for its own legal costs.

The two political parties argued that the election was unfair. Their main complaint was about the government’s decision to extend voting by three days in 36 constituencies. President Nangolo Mbumba approved this extension to fix issues like missing ballots, which had caused some people to miss their chance to vote on the original election day. However, IPC and LPM said the extension was illegal and gave unfair advantages.

IPC leader Panduleni Itula strongly opposed the way the election was handled. On December 2, 2024, he said the process was deeply flawed and that his party would not accept the results. He also claimed that voting and counting were done unfairly, which made the final outcome unreliable.

LPM leader Bernadus Swartbooi also challenged the election in court. He said the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) and the President had no right to extend voting days. Swartbooi believed the extension was an abuse of power and suggested either canceling the extra votes or holding a new election.

After reviewing the case, the Supreme Court decided that the voting extension was legal and did not change the overall results. As a result, the judges rejected IPC and LPM’s complaints and ruled that each party must cover its own legal costs.

IPC’s president said they have accept the Supreme Court’s decision and LPM have not commented on the ruling.