Hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba is a Namibian politician who served as the second President of Namibia from 21 March 2005 to 21 March 2015. He won the 2004 election overwhelmingly as the candidate of SWAPO, the ruling party, and he was reelected in the 2009 election. Pohamba was the President of SWAPO from 2007 until his retirement in 2015. Pohamba is a recipient of the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership.
Background
Ethnicity:
Hifikepunye Pohamba was born in the north of Namibia, in the family of the chief of one of the “ovambo” people’s tribes that is 40% of the country population. The former President of Namibia, Sam Nuyoma is a representative of the same nation. In the ovambo language pohamba means “king”.
Hifikepunye Pohamba was born on August 18, 1935, at Okanghudi in northern Ovamboland.
Education
Educated by Anglicans at the Holy Cross Mission School at Onamunama, less than a mile from the Angolan border.
Career
In Namibia, where the patriarch of the African politics Sam Nuyoma was the President for 15 years, the leader was replaced. The new President of the country became Hifikepunye Pohamba, one of the National Organization of South-Western Africa (SVAPO). 75-year-old Nuyoma, who announced his retirement, chose the successor himself.
In 1990, on the eve of the Namibia independence announcement, Pohamba came back to his motherland. In Sam Nuyoma’s cabinet he was the minister of the interior, fishery, lands and land reform. In 1997-2002, using the reputation of the man of high moral principles and intolerant to dishonesty and corruption, Pohamba became the secretary-general, and the Vice-President of the SVAPO since 2002.
In October of 2004 there were regular Presidential elections in Namibia. Pohamba won those elections with 76,4% of the votes. By the Constitution the President is not only the head of the country, but the head of the government and the Commander in Chief of the armed forces. The President is elected by the direct general voting (to be elected one has to have not less than 50% of the votes) for a 5-year term and can be reelected for one more term. The exception was made (as an amendment to the Constitution) only for the first president Sam Nuyoma, who was on the position since 1990.
The elections in Namibia that independent observers called free and fair were the evidence of beginning of the movement to democracy of South-African countries. The exception is only Zimbabwe, where the dictator regime dominates.
Personality
One of SWAPO’s first eager members who undertook several daring missions back into the country after he had joined the leaders in exile. A tall, earnest if somewhat hesitant speaker completely absorbed in party work. An efficient envoy and administrator, trusted to handle problems on his own.