Namibia elects first female president

Namibia has elected its first female president after the ruling party SWAPO's candidate Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah was declared the winner of last week's presidential election late Tuesday.

Official results released by the Electoral Commission of Namibia indicated that Nandi-Ndaitwah won the presidential ballot with 57 percent of the vote.

Her closest rival Panduleni Itula of the Independent Patriots for Change party garnered 26 percent of the vote. Itula had earlier said on Saturday that his party would not recognize the results, alleging electoral malpractice following logistical problems and a three-day polling extension in some parts of the country.

Nandi-Ndaitwah, the current vice-president, is widely viewed as a steady hand and a seasoned diplomat having served in high government positions for a quarter of a century.

She was a member of the underground independence movement in Namibia in the 1970s and was promoted from foreign minister to vice-president in February.

While fielding questions from the media on Wednesday in Beijing, Lin Jian, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said that China is glad to see the successful presidential and National Assembly elections in Namibia and extends congratulations to the Namibian people and president-elect.

Noting that next year will mark the 35th anniversary of China-Namibia diplomatic relations, Lin said China stands ready to work with Namibia to implement the outcomes of the Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing to advance the China-Namibia comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.