EDITORIAL: Foreigners and our elections

In George Washington’s 1796 farewell address, he warned that “foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of republican government.”In Namibia, these accusations have been flying around for months, although no tangible evidence has ever been produced to prove them.When Swapo’s Sophia Shaningwa visited China in May, some alleged that it was to seek financial assistance from the Chinese Communist Party ahead of next week’s elections.Swapo has publicly admitted that it is broke – and at one point threatened its members that they would not be allowed to attend its electoral college in September if they did not donate substantial money to its coffers.The party’s visit to the notorious Zanu-PF’s headquarters in Harare in July has also sparked accusations of foreign influence in our elections.IPC, on the other hand, has struggled to shake off perceptions that it has so-called London ties. British High Commissioner Charles Moore’s attendance at a gala dinner last week at the IPC-dominated Walvis Bay municipality might have only reinforced this perception.True, each nation is closely monitoring our elections, and all of them have their preferred outcome in mind. They know which candidate is best suited to their agenda – whether in London, Harare or Beijing.As many scholars have argued, the principle of sovereignty dictates that democratic governments should only be accountable to and influenced by their citizens. All foreign influence should therefore be ruled illegitimate.Foreigners helping Namibian political parties are not doing so purely out of the goodness of their hearts. They expect repayment in one shape or another.

EDITORIAL: Foreigners and our elections

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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EDITORIAL: Foreigners and our elections

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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