Namibia's female VP leads in presidential election marred by problems

Polling station officials arrange marked ballots before proceeding to the counting at a voting station in Windhoek, Namibia, on December 1, 2024, during extended voting following the country's general election.[VOA,Courtesy]

The candidate for Namibia's ruling party led Monday in early results of a presidential election characterized by technical problems which caused voting to be extended for three days.

The opposition has rejected the results and claimed the extension was illegal, undermining the vote in a southern African country that has a largely smooth history of elections and is praised as one of the region's more stable democracies. Final results are expected this week, with opposition parties saying they will challenge the validity of the election in court.