The SWAPO Party of Namibia continues to dominate the political scene in Namibia, with strong advantages in public trust and voter preference, but public tolerance of opposition parties may also be on the increase, according to the latest Afrobarometer survey. The opposition parties continue to survive and scramble for the minor places, with the DTA of Namibia and the Rally for Democracy and Progress in a close race for a distant second place behind the ruling SWAPO.
The survey, conducted in the run-up to the November 28 presidential and parliamentary elections, confirms continuity of party identification and voting preferences. Encouraging signs point to a stronger engagement of voters, with 7% fewer respondents saying they were not close to any party (31% in 2012 to 24% in 2014). Perhaps this is due to the approaching elections. increasing tolerance of the opposition parties, perhaps due to new leadership in the opposition and restrained behaviour called for by SWAPO leaders.
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