NAMIBIA: By-Election Result 'Points to Demise of DTA'

The DTA (Democratic Turnhalle Alliance) of Namibia were the main losers yesterday as Swapo took control of the Windhoek West constituency, polling more than half of the 5.300 votes cast during Tuesday's election.

Swapo's Sophia Shaningwa collected 2.714 (51,%) of the votes against 1.150 votes (21,7%) for the second-placed Congress of Democrats (CoD). The Republican Party (RP) was third with 979 votes (18,4%) while the DTA collected only 458 or 8,6% of the votes.

The DTA had controlled the constituency until Henk Mudge resigned three months ago to reactivate the RP. While there was only a 30 per cent turnout, it was a slight increase on the 25 per cent of voters who went to the polling booths in 1998. When Mudge won in 1998, the DTA collected 62,8% while Swapo's Eliphas Shipanga had 36,5% of the 3.146 votes.

The CoD regarded the outcome as an indicator of how political parties would perform in the upcoming elections and a sign that the DTA was a "party on its deathbed". (The Namibian, Windhoek)