|
Tomorrow Namibia holds its 6th general election since independence from South Africa in 1989. The South West African People’s Organisation (Swapo), which led the struggle for emancipation, has dominated each poll. In the last one in 2014, the party won 80% of the votes for the National Assembly, while its presidential candidate, Hage Geingob, scooped almost 87% of the votes. There’s no doubt that Swapo will win the election. But, Henning Melber argues, it might be with a smaller margin thanks, in part, to an economic crisis that has seen youth unemployment skyrocket.
And following the announcement that Eliud Kipchoge has been named the 2019 World Athletics male athlete, we’re republishing two articles about the Kenyan marathon runner’s brilliance.
|
Namibian president Hage Geingob.
EPA/Siphiwe Sibeko
Henning Melber, University of Pretoria
Namibia’s political stability so far has been vested in the dominance of Swapo. Those opposing its control face an uphill battle.
|
Politics + Society
|
Tessa Diphoorn, Utrecht University
In spite of numerous reforms, it is evident that various forms of misconduct are interpreted as a part of everyday police work.
| |
Roukaya Kasenally, University of Mauritius
Mauritius' "dynastic politics" does not augur well for the often celebrated image of Mauritius as Africa's shining democratic model
|
|
|
Health + Medicine
|
Mhairi Maskew, University of the Witwatersrand
There's an urgent need for interventions to increase uptake of antiretroviral therapy and improve services for adolescents.
| |
Patience Afulani, University of California, San Francisco
Most women feel they are unable to ask health professionals questions. And only half were consistently asked if they had questions.
|
|
|
In the news
|
Vincent O. Onywera, Kenyatta University
Many factors have been suggested to explain the dominance of Kenyan middle and long distance runners, and many have been disproved
| |
Simon D Angus, Monash University
Kenyan marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge is bidding to break the mythical 2-hour barrier in Vienna this week. Analysis of previous world records suggest he needs to find an extra 15 second from somwhere.
|
|
|
From our international editions
|
Elizabeth C. Tippett, University of Oregon
Scholars say a 'critical mass' of representation is necessary to overcome 'token' status. That's exactly what we saw at the Democratic debate in Atlanta.
| |
Jonquil Lowe, The Open University
The Conservative Party's manifesto presents a modest £2.9 billion spending increase compared to Labour’s £82.9 billion spending programme.
|
|
|
