Namibia’s New President says He Won't Run for Office after End of Late Predecessor's Tenure

After his swearing in, Nangolo Mbumba, the new president of Namibia told citizens that he has no desire to run for office. He said he’s “not going to be around for the elections,” and so, they should not “panic” as he’ll be serving them only for a short time. Mbumba was sworn in following the passing of Hage Geingob, the country’s third president and founding Prime Minister.

Geingob died early Sunday morning while receiving treatment at Lady Pohamba Hospital in the country’s capital Windhoek.

As Namibia mourns Geingob’s demise, 82-year-old Mbuma has declared to continue building on the excellent foundation established by his predecessor. Mbumba is the country’s fourth president, and, per constitutional provisions, will remain in that position until Geingob’s term ends in November. During his swearing-in, he announced the country’s Deputy Prime Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah as the Vice President.

Geingbo, who was serving his second term, was first elected in 2015 after spending 16 years in total - first between 1990 and 2002, and then from 2008 to 2012 - as the country’s longest-serving Prime Minister.

Geingob was an anti-apartheid activist who spent years in Botswana and the U.S. in exile. He played a big role in establishing democracy in Namibia after more than 100 years of German and then apartheid South African rule.

The president had died only weeks after he announced that he was diagnosed with cancer. In January, after routine medical checkups, the Namibian presidency revealed that “cancerous cells” had been detected in the late president’s body, adding that he would continue his duties as president.

President Geingob had been transparent about his health in the past - from his heart valve surgery in 2023, to beating cancer in 2014, and having brain surgery in 2013. The Namibian presidency had disclosed then that Geingbo would continue with his duties as president.

Geingbo’s openness on his cancer diagnosis was a welcome development in Namibia’s corridor of politics, and also in Africa’s political ecosystem.