Rally for Democracy and Progress (Namibia)

Last updated
Rally for Democracy and Progress
AbbreviationRDP
President Mike Kavekotora
Secretary-GeneralBrunhilde Cornelius
Founder Hidipo Hamutenya
Jesaya Nyamu
Founded17 November 2007
Split from SWAPO
HeadquartersSchönlein Street
Windhoek West
Windhoek
Khomas Region
NewspaperVoice of Change
Youth WingRDP Youth League
Women’s WingRDP Women’s League
Ideology Liberalism
African nationalism [ citation needed ]
Political position Centre-left [ citation needed ]
Colors  Blue
  Yellow
  Green
  Black
Seats in the National Assembly
1 / 104
Seats in the National Council
0 / 42
Regional Councillors
0 / 121
Local Councillors
16 / 378
Pan-African Parliament
0 / 5
Party flag
Flagge RDP Namibia.png
Website
Website of RDP

The Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) is a political party in Namibia. It was launched on 17 November 2007 under the leadership of Hidipo Hamutenya and Jesaya Nyamu, both former leading members of the ruling SWAPO party and cabinet ministers. Hamutenya had unsuccessfully sought the SWAPO nomination for President in 2004. At the time of the RDP's launch, it was considered to represent the strongest challenge to SWAPO's political dominance since the country gained its independence in 1990. According to Hamutenya, speaking at the RDP's launch, the party was "born in response to our people's deep longing for a vision, political direction and the rekindling of their hopes and aspiration for a better and prosperous future". [1]

Contents

2008 conference and criticism of Robert Mugabe

In December 2008, RDP held the party's first national conference. Hamutenya was officially selected as leader of the party. Other party leaders included Steve Bezuidenhout, Jesaya Nyamu and Agnes Limbo. Concerning the crises in Zimbabwe, Hamutenya said "The Zimbabwe crisis is manmade and that regime should not be allowed to continue. It has led to poverty and hardship". [2]

Electoral history

Presidential elections

ElectionCandidateVotes%Result
2009 Hidipo Hamutenya 88,64010.91%LostRed x.svg
2014 30,1973.39%LostRed x.svg
2019 Mike Kavekotora 3,5150.4%LostRed x.svg

National Assembly elections

ElectionParty leaderVotes%Seats+/–PositionResult
2009 Hidipo Hamutenya 90,55611.16%
8 / 96
Increase2.svg 8Increase2.svg 2ndOpposition
2014 31,3723.51%
3 / 96
Decrease2.svg 5Decrease2.svg 3rdOpposition
2019 Mike Kavekotora 8,9531.09%
1 / 96
Decrease2.svg 2Decrease2.svg 9thOpposition

2009 elections

At the 2009 elections, RDP won 11% of the vote and 8 seats in the National Assembly. The party's leader and presidential candidate, Hidipo Hamutenya, won 10.91% of the vote. RDP and eight other opposition parties disputed the result and filed a case in court to have the results put aside, but the case was denied.

The eight members of the National Assembly in 2010 were: Hidipo Hamutenya, Steve Bezuidenhout, Jesaya Nyamu, Agnes Limbo, Anton von Wietersheim, Kandy Nehova, Peter Naholo and Heiko Lucks.

2010 regional elections, National Assembly boycott and merger

In March 2010, because of the disputed 2009 election, RDP decided to boycott the swearing-in ceremony of the National Assembly of Namibia. RDP decided to wait until the Supreme Court of Namibia ruled on whether to put aside the election results. [3] It was not until 14 September 2010 that the eight RDP members of the National Assembly were sworn in. [4]

On 8 September 2010, RDP began the process of subsuming the Republican Party led by Henk Mudge following a memorandum of understanding agreement on September 8. In the agreement, The Republican Party would begin to phase out as an independent political organization and eventually come under the umbrella of RDP. The parties said they would work together in the November 2010 regional and local elections to unseat the ruling SWAPO party. [5]

In 2015 Jeremia Nambinga became president of the RDP. He was voted out of that position by a no-confidence vote in 2017 but challenged the result in court, and won. In August 2018 he resigned his presidency. [6] In 2019 Mike Kavekotora was elected president and Kennedy Shekupakela vice president. [7]

Related Research Articles

Hidipo Livius Hamutenya was a Namibian politician. A long time leading member of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), Hamutenya was a member of the Cabinet of Namibia from independence in 1990 to 2004, serving in several important ministerial portfolios. He was defeated in a bid for the party's presidential nomination in 2004 and left SWAPO to form an opposition group, the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), in 2007. He was elected to the National Assembly of Namibia with RDP in the 2009 general election. He was forced to step down as RDP president on 28 February 2015 and rejoined SWAPO on 28 August 2015.

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Jesaya Nyamu is a Namibian politician. A member of the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), he was a high level member of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) from 1964, when he fled into exile, until 2002, when he was expelled from the party for "disobedience". He was a member of SWAPO's central committee from 1975 until his expulsion from the party in 2002. In 2007, he registered a new political party, the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) and was unanimously selected as the party's secretary general in 2008. He was elected to the National Assembly of Namibia with RDP in the 2009 general election.

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Kandy Nehova is a Namibian politician. A member of the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), Nehova was a member of the National Assembly of Namibia following the 2009 election. In September 2010, Nehova and eight other opposition politicians were sworn-in as members of the National Assembly following a six-month boycott due to electoral irregularities in the 2009 election. The electoral irregularities were ruled by a court of law to be unfounded.

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Agnes Mundia Limbo is a Namibian politician. A member of the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), she was named the Deputy Secretary of the party at their founding conference in December 2008. She was elected to the National Assembly of Namibia with RDP in the 2009 general election.

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References

  1. "New Namibian political party launched in challenge to ruling party", Associated Press (International Herald Tribune), November 18, 2007.
  2. Mugabe regime the problem: Hamutenya The Namibian, 9 December 2008
  3. New Era, 23 March 2010
  4. Full house The Namibian, 15 September 2010
  5. RDP, RP marry New Era, 8 September 2010
  6. Tjitemisa, Kuzeeko (10 August 2018). "Nambinga resigns as RDP president…vows to never join Swapo". New Era . p. 1.
  7. Ngutjinazo, Okeri (2 June 2019). "Kavekotora elected as RDP president". The Namibian .