UPDATE - Voting ends in Namibia’s presidential, parliamentary elections

CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, INCLUDES NEW INFORMATION​​​​​​​

By Hassan Isilow

Polling stations have closed in Namibia where voters cast ballots Wednesday for a new president and members of parliament.

Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. local time (0500GMT) and closed at 9 p.m. (1900GMT, according to the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC).

There were 1.4 million registered voters in the sparsely populated country of 3 million people.

A few incidents were reported, including a shortage of ballot papers at some polling stations, but local media reported that the process went smoothly overall in the southern African nation.

Footage on television showed voters in long queues waiting to cast ballots in an election experts believe could be the most competitive since the country gained independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990.

Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72, is the presidential candidate of the ruling South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), which has been in power for 34 years.

Nandi-Ndaitwah faces challenges from 14 political parties running for president as well as seats in the National Assembly.

If Nandi-Ndaitwah wins, she will become Namibia’s first female president.​​​​​​​

Some of her main challengers include Panduleni Itula from the Independent Patriots for Change party, who managed to get 29.4% of the vote in the 2019 election, where he ran against President Hage Geingob, who received 56.3% -- a decline from the 87% he won in his first term in 2014.

Geingob, 82, died in February, weeks after it was announced he would undergo treatment for cancer.

Other contenders include McHenry Venaani, leader of the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), the largest opposition party in parliament; Bernadus Swartbooi from the Landless People’s Movement party and associate professor Job Amupanda of the Affirmative Repositioning party.

The new president will be expected to address unemployment, poverty, sluggish economic growth and inequality among other issues.

Vote counting is expected to commence late Wednesday with results expected in a few days.