Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

is a

one party dominant state A dominant-party system, or one-party dominant system, is a political occurrence in which a single political party continuously dominates election results over running opposition groups or parties. Any ruling party staying in power for more th ...

with the

South-West Africa People's Organisation The South West Africa People's Organisation (, SWAPO; af, Suidwes-Afrikaanse Volks Organisasie, SWAVO; german: Südwestafrikanische Volksorganisation, SWAVO), officially known as the SWAPO Party of Namibia, is a political party and former ind ...

in power. Opposition parties are allowed, but are widely considered to have no real chance of gaining power. In Namibian politics,

ethnicity An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

plays a significant role in

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...

affiliation and voting behaviour. Some parties are dominated by single ethnic groups; SWAPO itself, its government, and administration, is pre-dominantly

Ovambo Ovambo may refer to: *Ovambo language *Ovambo people * Ovamboland *Ovambo sparrowhawk The Ovambo or Ovampo sparrowhawk, also known as Hilgert's sparrowhawk, (''Accipiter ovampensis'') is a species of sub-Saharan African bird of prey in the famil ...

Parties with parliamentary seats

Parties with seats in the

National Assembly of Namibia The National Assembly is the lower chamber of Namibia's bicameral Parliament. Its laws must be approved by the National Council, the upper house. Since 2014, it has a total of 104 members. 96 members are directly elected through a system of close ...

after the 2019 elections: }
german: Südwestafrikanische Volksorganisation , SWAPO
SWAVO ,

Hage Geingob Hage Gottfried Geingob (born 3 August 1941) is a Namibian politician, serving as the third president of Namibia since 21 March 2015. Geingob was the first Prime Minister of Namibia from 1990 to 2002, and served as prime minister again from 2012 ...

Left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

Socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

Social democracy Social democracy is a Political philosophy, political, Social philosophy, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocati ...

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Popular Democratic Movement The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), formerly the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA), is an amalgamation of political parties in Namibia, registered as one singular party for representation purposes. In coalition with the United Democratic ...

af, Populêre Demokratiese Beweging , PDM ,

McHenry Venaani McHenry Venaani (born 8 September 1977) is a Namibian politician and the president of the Popular Democratic Movement, a party with sixteen seats in the National Assembly of Namibia and one seat in the National Council of Namibia. Venaani has be ...

Centre-right Centre-right politics lean to the Right-wing politics, right of the Left–right politics, political spectrum, but are closer to the Centrism, centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure a ...

Conservatism Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

Economic liberalism Economic liberalism is a political and economic ideology that supports a market economy based on individualism and private property in the means of production. Adam Smith is considered one of the primary initial writers on economic liberalism ...

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Landless People's Movement The Landless People's Movement was an independent social movement in South Africa. It consisted of rural people and people living in shack settlements in cities. The Landless People's Movement boycotted parliamentary elections and had a history ...

, LPM ,

Bernadus Swartbooi Bernadus Clinton Swartbooi (born 11 October 1977) is a Namibian politician. Swartbooi was a Governor of the ǁKaras Region before being appointed as Namibia's deputy minister of lands and resettlement in 2015 by President Hage Geingob, a positi ...

Centre-left Centre-left politics lean to the left on the left–right political spectrum but are closer to the centre than other left-wing politics. Those on the centre-left believe in working within the established systems to improve social justice. The c ...

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

Progressivism Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, tec ...

Land reform Land reform is a form of agrarian reform involving the changing of laws, regulations, or customs regarding land ownership. Land reform may consist of a government-initiated or government-backed property redistribution, generally of agricultural ...

Environmentalism Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seek ...

, , , - , bgcolor= , , United Democratic Front , UDF ,

Apius Auchab Apius Auchab (born 3 October 1959) is a Namibian politician who has served as the president of the United Democratic Front since 2013. He has been a Member of the National Assembly since 2015. He was previously the party's vice president from 200 ...

, , Damara interests , , , - , bgcolor= , ,

National Unity Democratic Organisation The National Unity Democratic Organisation (NUDO) is a political party in Namibia. It has been represented in the National Assembly of Namibia and in the National Council of Namibia since it split from the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (now PDM) ...

, NUDO ,

Esther Muinjangue Esther Utjiua Muinjangue (born 17 August 1962) is a Namibian politician and the president of the National Unity Democratic Organisation (NUDO), a party which occupies two seats in the National Assembly of Namibia and one seat in the National Coun ...

Herero Herero may refer to: * Herero people, a people belonging to the Bantu group, with about 240,000 members alive today * Herero language, a language of the Bantu family (Niger-Congo group) * Herero and Namaqua Genocide * Herero chat, a species of b ...

interests , , , - , bgcolor=#deaa87 , ,

Independent Patriots for Change The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) is a political party in Namibia. It was founded by Panduleni Itula in August 2020. As an independent presidential candidate in the 2019 Namibian general election, November 2019 election, Itula won the b ...

, IPC ,

Panduleni Itula Panduleni Filemon Bango Itula (born 2 August 1957) is a Namibian politician, dentist, lawyer, and former Chief Dentist at the Katutura State Hospital, as well as a former SWAPO party school lecturer. He was an independent presidential candidate ...

, ,

Grassroots democracy Grassroots democracy is a tendency towards designing political processes that shift as much decision-making authority as practical to the organization's lowest geographic or social level of organization. Grassroots organizations can have a var ...

, , , - , bgcolor= , , All People's Party , APP ,

Ignatius Shixwameni Ignatius Nkotongo Shixwameni (4 September 1966 – 10 November 2021) was a Namibian politician. He was the leader of Namibia's All People's Party. Life Shixwameni was born in Shambyu, the traditional kingdom in the Kavango Region, and he earne ...

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Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

german: Republikanische Partei , RP ,

Henk Mudge Henry Ferdinand Mudge (known as Henk) (born February 18, 1952) is a Namibian politician and President of the Republican Party.Right-wing Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authorit ...

Christian democracy Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism. It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...

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Namibian Economic Freedom Fighters The Namibian Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) is a political party in Namibia. It was formed in June 2014. The party has close links to the South African Economic Freedom Fighters. Economically, the two parties are similar, with the NEFF descri ...

, NEFF ,

Epafras Mukwiilongo Hon. Jan Epafras M. Mukwilongo is a Namibian politician and a businessman. Founding leader and self-styled "Commander-in-Chief" of the Namibian Economic Freedom Fighters in 24 June 2014. He was elected to the List of Members of the 7th National A ...

Far-left Far-left politics, also known as the radical left or the extreme left, are politics further to the left on the left–right political spectrum than the standard political left. The term does not have a single definition. Some scholars consider ...

Marxism–Leninism Marxism–Leninism is a communist ideology which was the main communist movement throughout the 20th century. Developed by the Bolsheviks, it was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, its satellite states in the Eastern Bloc, and various co ...

Pan-Africanism Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous and diaspora peoples of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement exte ...

Anti-capitalism Anti-capitalism is a political ideology and movement encompassing a variety of attitudes and ideas that oppose capitalism. In this sense, anti-capitalists are those who wish to replace capitalism with another type of economic system, such as s ...

, , , - , bgcolor= , , Rally for Democracy and Progress , RDP , Faustus Thomas ,

Liberalism Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law."political rationalism, hostility to autocracy, cultural distaste for c ...

African nationalism African nationalism is an umbrella term which refers to a group of political ideologies in sub-Saharan Africa, which are based on the idea of national self-determination and the creation of nation states.Christian Democratic Voice The Christian Democratic Voice (CDV) is a political party in Namibia. It was launched in 2014 and has about 8,000 members. Political position The Christian Democratic Voice has its main backing in pentecostal and charismatic Christians. The CDV ...

, CDV ,

Mike Kavekotora Mike Kamboto Ratoveni Kavekotora (born 16 October 1956 in Ombazu, Kunene Region) is a Namibian politician and member of parliament. He is the president of the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), an opposition party. Education and Career Kav ...

Far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

Christian fundamentalism Christian fundamentalism, also known as fundamental Christianity or fundamentalist Christianity, is a religious movement emphasizing biblical literalism. In its modern form, it began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries among British and ...

Neo-Pentecostalism The Neo-charismatic (also third-wave charismatic or hypercharismatic) movement is a movement within evangelical Protestant Christianity that is composed of a diverse range of independent churches and organizations that emphasize the post-biblical ...

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South West Africa National Union The South West Africa National Union (SWANU) is a Namibian political party founded in 1959. Most of its members came from the Herero people, while fellow independence movement SWAPO was mostly an Ovambo party. The party's president is Charles ...

, SWANU ,

Tangeni Iiyambo Tangeni Iiyambo is a Namibian politician. He is the president of the SWANU, South West Africa National Union (SWANU) since 2017. Tangeni Iiyambo has served in the National Assembly of Namibia since 2018. In the 2019 Namibian general election Iiyamb ...

Democratic socialism Democratic socialism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing political philosophy that supports political democracy and some form of a socially owned economy, with a particular emphasis on economic democracy, workplace democracy, and workers' self- ...

Nationalism Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a in-group and out-group, group of peo ...

, ,

Unrepresented parties

The following parties contested the 2019 parliamentary elections but did not gain a seat, in the order of votes obtained: *

Congress of Democrats The Congress of Democrats (CoD) is a Namibian opposition party without representation in the National Assembly and led by Ben Ulenga. It was established in 1999, prior to that year's general elections, and started off with a number of notabl ...

(CoD) * National Democratic Party (NDP). The NDP gained a seat in the

Katima Mulilo Katima Mulilo or simply Katima is the capital of the Zambezi Region in Namibia. It is located in the Caprivi Strip. It had 28,362 inhabitants in 2010, and comprises two Constituencies of Namibia, electoral constituencies, Katima Mulilo Rural and ...

town council in the 2020 local authority election. * Workers Revolutionary Party (WRP) * National Patriotic Front (NPF)

New parties

The following parties were established after the last parliamentary elections in 2019: *

(IPC). In 2020 it won the

municipal elections In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct vary ...

in the commercial hubs

Walvis Bay Walvis Bay ( en, lit. Whale Bay; af, Walvisbaai; ger, Walfischbucht or Walfischbai) is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies. It is the second largest city in Namibia and the largest coastal city in the country. The c ...

and

Swakopmund Swakopmund (german: Mouth of the Swakop) is a city on the coast of western Namibia, west of the Namibian capital Windhoek via the B2 main road. It is the capital of the Erongo administrative district. The town has 44,725 inhabitants and covers ...

, and 29 seats in different constituencies in Northern Namibia, hitherto considered an impenetrable

SWAPO The South West Africa People's Organisation (, SWAPO; af, Suidwes-Afrikaanse Volks Organisasie, SWAVO; german: Südwestafrikanische Volksorganisation, SWAVO), officially known as the SWAPO Party of Namibia, is a political party and former ind ...

stronghold. *

National Empowerment Fighting Corruption National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

(NEFC)

Parties of local relevance

The following parties did not contest the 2019 general elections but took part in the 2020 local authority election, and gained seats: *

Gobabis Residents' Association The Gobabis Residents' Association (GRA) is a local political party in Gobabis, Namibia. In the Namibian local and regional elections, 1998, 1998 municipal elections GRA won 3 out of 7 seats in the Gobabis council. After the elections, GRA teamed ...

, 1 seat in

Gobabis , nickname = , settlement_type = City , motto = Ex Oriente Lux , image_skyline = Gobabis Namibia aerial.jpg , imagesize = 300px , imag ...

Karibib Ratepayers Association , nickname = , settlement_type = Town , motto = , image_skyline =Karibib aerial view.jpg , imagesize =300 , image_caption =Karibib aerial view 2017 , image_flag = , ...

, 1 seat in

Karibib , nickname = , settlement_type = Town , motto = , image_skyline =Karibib aerial view.jpg , imagesize =300 , image_caption =Karibib aerial view 2017 , image_flag = , ...

Monitor Action Group The Monitor Action Group is a political party in Namibia. The party came into existence as the transformation of the National Party of South West Africa in 1991, Kosie Pretorius became its first chairperson and served until his retirement from a ...

, 1 seat in

Outjo Outjo (Otjiherero: ''small hills'') is a city of 6,000 inhabitants in the Kunene Region of Namibia. It is the district capital of Outjo Constituency. It is best known as a main gateway to Etosha National Park. Overview The town was founded by ...

Okahandja Rate Payers Association Okahandja is a city of 24,100 inhabitants in Otjozondjupa Region, central Namibia, and the district capital of the Okahandja electoral constituency. It is known as the ''Garden Town of Namibia''. It is located 70 km north of Windhoek on the ...

, 1 seat in

Okahandja Okahandja is a city of 24,100 inhabitants in Otjozondjupa Region, central Namibia, and the district capital of the Okahandja electoral constituency. It is known as the ''Garden Town of Namibia''. It is located 70 km north of Windhoek on the ...

Omaruru Community Development Association Omaruru may refer to: * Omaruru, Namibia * Omaruru Constituency, Namibia * Omaruru River The Omaruru River is a major river crossing the Erongo Region of western central Namibia from East to West. It originates in the Etjo Mountains, crosses th ...

, 1 seat in Omaruru *

Rehoboth Independent Town Management Association Rehoboth may refer to: *Rehoboth (Bible), the name of three Biblical places Places Namibia *Rehoboth, Namibia *Rehoboth Ratepayers' Association *Rehoboth (homeland), a Baster territory in South West Africa (present-day Namibia) United States *Re ...

, 1 seat in Rehoboth * United People's Movement (UPM), 1 seat in Rehoboth *

Rundu Concerned Citizens Association Rundu is the capital and largest city of the Kavango-East Region in northern Namibia. It lies on the border with Angola on the banks of the Kavango River about above sea level. Rundu's population is growing rapidly. The 2001 census counted 36,96 ...

, 1 seat in

Rundu Rundu is the capital and largest city of the Kavango-East Region in northern Namibia. It lies on the border with Angola on the banks of the Kavango River about above sea level. Rundu's population is growing rapidly. The 2001 census counted 36,9 ...

Rundu Urban Community Association Rundu is the capital and largest city of the Kavango-East Region in northern Namibia. It lies on the border with Angola on the banks of the Kavango River about above sea level. Rundu's population is growing rapidly. The 2001 census counted 36,9 ...

, 1 seat in Rundu *

Swakopmund Residents Association Swakopmund (german: Mouth of the Swakop) is a city on the coast of western Namibia, west of the Namibian capital Windhoek via the B2 main road. It is the capital of the Erongo administrative district. The town has 44,725 inhabitants and covers ...

, 2 seats in

* Joint Walvis Bay Residents Association, 1 seat in

* The

Affirmative Repositioning Affirmative Repositioning (AR) is a leftist political movement in Namibia mainly focused on land reform, youth empowerment and social reform. Founded in 2014 by Job Amupanda, Dimbulukeni Nauyoma and George Kambala, the AR uses social media platf ...

(AR) movement was registered for the 2020 local elections as an association in the urban centres of

Windhoek Windhoek (, , ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek in 20 ...

, Walvis Bay and Swakopmund. It gained two seats in the Windhoek municipality and won the 2020 mayoral election with

Job Amupanda Job Shipululo Amupanda (born 28 August 1987 in Omaalala, Oshana Region) is a Namibian activist and politician who served as Mayor of the City of Windhoek, in office from 2 December 2020 to 1 December 2021. He is an academic at the University of N ...

Defunct parties

;National parties * Communist Party of Namibia *

Democratic Action for Namas Democratic Action for Namas was a political party in Namibia with ethnic affiliation to the Nama people. The chairman was Willem Oasib Boois. It was founded on 20 November 1984. It was one of the parties that merged into the Federal Convention of ...

Democratic Party of Namibia The Democratic Party of Namibia is a political party in Namibia, launched in July 2008 at Keetmanshoop. Although it constitutes an initiative of the Nama people, the party plans to focus on all ethnic minorities in Namibia. It positions itself i ...

(DPN) *

Namibia African People's Democratic Organisation The Namibia African People's Democratic Organisation (NAPDO) was a political party in Namibia, based amongst the Damara people. It was founded in 1970. In 1972 NAPDO joined the National Convention (NC, later NNC). In 1976 NAPDO left the Namib ...

Namibian Democratic Movement for Change The Namibian Democratic Movement for Change (Nam DMC) is a Namibian political party. NMDC contested the 2004 election, but received just 4,138 votes, short of the minimum needed for a seat in the National Assembly. The party was founded in Octobe ...

* National Progressive Party *

Riemvasmaak United Party Riemvasmaak is a settlement in ZF Mgcawu District Municipality in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. The name means ‘tighten the strap’ or ‘tied with straps’. Riemvasmaak is located near the Orange River, close to the Namibian ...

United Nama Independence People's Party The United Nama Independence People's Party was a short-lived political party in Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders wi ...

* United Namib Independence Party *

United Namibia People's Party The United Namibia People's Party was a political party in Namibia. It was formed in 1980, following a split in the SWAPO Democrats. The party leader was Hizipo Shikondombole. The party joined the Namibia National Front The Namibia National ...

;Local parties *

Civic Association of Henties Bay The Civic Association of Henties Bay is a local political party based in Henties Bay in the Erongo Region of Namibia. It contests local elections for the municipality of Henties Bay. In the 2004 local elections, the Civic Association won 3 seats ...

;Banned parties * United Democratic Party

References

{{Africa in topic, List of political parties in

Political parties A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or pol ...