Trends in Voting Behaviour and Democratisation of Namibia (1990–2020)

Abstract

Voter behaviour is one of the diverse factors that impacts democratic trends, especially when it comes to the legitimacy and the defence of democratic institutions. Previous literature has looked at single cases in Africa and often applied traditional Western models to African democracies. This paper seeks to provide a holistic overview of how voter behaviour is shaped in Namibia. To this end, traditional literature will need to be contrasted with the limited Africa-specific literature to discover what is important when looking at voter behaviour in Africa. A case study of only Namibia will be necessary as the extant literature makes a deep dive into the details difficult. This will be overcome by an in-depth investigation into the traditional influences on voter behaviour and the less common insights of individual African countries. Finally, voter behaviour is influenced by many factors, some of which run contrary to common beliefs, as African voters show themselves as mature decision makers and drivers of democracy in their nations. This paper seeks to provide a foundation from which further research and critique regarding voter behaviour and democratisation in Namibia can be built. The resulting findings indicate that Namibia has factually improved in terms of battling corruption and extending the franchise to the broader population. The belief that ethnic lines are evidenced in voter behaviour is also refuted, while the critical voter
is evidenced in Namibian elections.