Democratic Party of Namibia

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The Democratic Party of Namibia is a political party in Namibia, launched in July 2008 at Keetmanshoop. [1]

A political party is an organized group of people, often with common views, who come together to contest elections and hold power in the government. The party agrees on some proposed policies and programmes, with a view to promoting the collective good or furthering their supporters' interests.

Namibia republic in southern Africa

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 east. Although it does not border Zimbabwe, less than 200 metres of the Zambezi River separates the two countries. Namibia gained independence from South Africa on 21 March 1990, following the Namibian War of Independence. Its capital and largest city is Windhoek, and it is a member state of the United Nations (UN), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union (AU), and the Commonwealth of Nations.

Keetmanshoop City in ǁKaras Region, Namibia

Keetmanshoop is a city in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia, lying on the Trans-Namib Railway from Windhoek to Upington in South Africa. It is named after Johann Keetman, a German industrialist and benefactor of the city.

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Although it constitutes an initiative of the Nama people, the party plans to focus on all ethnic minorities in Namibia. It positions itself in clear opposition to SWAPO, the currently ruling party of Namibia. The party's interim president is Salomon Dawid Isaacs. [2]

Nama people ethnic group

Nama are an African ethnic group of South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. They traditionally speak the Nama language of the Khoe-Kwadi language family, although many Nama also speak Afrikaans. The Nama are the largest group of the Khoikhoi people, most of whom have largely disappeared as a group, except for the Namas. Many of the Nama clans live in Central Namibia and the other smaller groups live in Namaqualand, which today straddles the Namibian border with South Africa.

SWAPO political party

SWAPO, or the South West African People's Organisation and officially known as SWAPO Party of Namibia, is a political party and former independence movement in Namibia. It has been the governing party in Namibia since the country achieved independence in 1990. The party continues to be dominated in number and influence by Ovambo people.

Election results

2009 general election

The DPN contested the 2009 general election. It finished in eleventh of fourteen parties in voting for the National Assembly of Namibia and did not win a seat. The party's candidate for president, David Isaacs, finished tenth of twelve candidates.

2010 local and regional elections

The party won a seat in the 2010 local elections in the Karasburg City Council. [3]

Karasburg town in ǁKaras Region, Namibia

Karasburg is a town of 4,000 inhabitants in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia and the district capital of the Karasburg electoral constituency. It lies at the heart of the southern Namibian sheep farming industry.

In January 2011, the party suspended two members, including an executive committee member, for siding with SWAPO against the directive of the party's central committee during the internal city council elections in Karasburg. Another member had been removed from the council but later re-added after showing remorse. [3]

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