Namibia
Namibia, 1990 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed
The Namibian Constitution was adopted in February 1990, and the country officially became independent on 21 March 1990. Sam Nujoma was sworn in as the first President of Namibia at a ceremony attended by Nelson Mandela of South Africa and representatives from 147 countries. In 1994, shortly before the first multiracial elections in South Africa, that country ceded Walvis Bay to Namibia. Multiparty democracy was introduced and has been maintained, with local, regional and national elections held regularly.
Seat of power: Windhoek
Rulers
Sam Nujoma
President of the Republic of Namibia, 1990–2005
He served three terms as the first president of Namibia, from 1990 to 2005. He was sworn in as the country's first president on 21 March 1990 and was re-elected for two more terms in 1994 and 1999.
Portrait of Sam Nujoma: Ana Nascimento/ABr, CC BY 3.0 br, file
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Hifikepunye Pohamba
President of the Republic of Namibia, 2005–2015
He served as the second president of Namibia from 21 March 2005 to 21 March 2015. He won the 2004 presidential election overwhelmingly as the candidate of SWAPO and was reelected in 2009.
Portrait of Hifikepunye Pohamba: Пресс-служба Правительства России, CC BY 4.0, file
Hage Geingob
President of the Republic of Namibia, 2015–2024
He served as the third president of Namibia from 2015 until his death in February 2024. In November 2014, Geingob was elected president of Namibia by an overwhelming margin. In August 2018, Geingob began a one-year term as chairperson of the Southern African Development Community.
Portrait of Hage Geingob: Brussels - EC/Berlaymont, CC BY 4.0, file
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Nangolo Mbumba
President of the Republic of Namibia, 2024–2025
He was the fourth president of Namibia from 2024 to 2025. He succeeded to the presidency upon the death of Hage Geingob in February 2024 and announced that he had no intention of running for election for a full term later in the year.
Portrait of Nangolo Mbumba: VOA AFRICA, Public domain, file
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Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah
President of the Republic of Namibia, 2025 to today
She is the fifth and current president of Namibia since 21 March 2025. She is the country's first female president. She was the first female presidential candidate for SWAPO (the South West Africa People's Organisation) in 2024.
Portrait of Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah: Prime Minister's Office, GODL-India, file
Culture
- The building project used forced labour by Herero and Nama people who, having survived the Herero and Nama genocide, had been placed in concentration camps. The building was opened on 12 April 1913.
- In 2007, Twyfelfontein was inscribed as a cultural UNESCO World Heritage Site, a prehistoric site with one of the largest concentrations of rock engravings on the African continent.
- Namibia has the least rainfall of any country in sub-Saharan Africa. The Namib is a broad expanse of hyper-arid gravel plains and dunes that stretches along Namibia's entire coastline.
- Since independence, the Namibian government has promoted a policy of national reconciliation.
Picture
The Parliament Building in Windhoek, also known as the Tintenpalast, is the seat of both houses of the Parliament of Namibia.
Image: Parliament of Namibia, Public domain, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.