Voting has officially ended in Namibia’s 2009 presidential and parliamentary elections. Counting has already started in most polling stations across the country. However, the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) said earlier that the earliest result will only be out Tuesday this coming week.

An atmosphere of excitement descended into the capital Windhooek early Saturday evening as anticipation and anxiety grew among the city population. People who spoke to AEP said they were very pleased with the way the proceedings have been conducted.

Election 2009 in Namibia will be lauded for the peace that accompanied it. No major incidents of violence or intimidation have been reported. The ECN on Thursday evening said that the electorate and all other stakeholders in the election had displayed high levels of political maturity in the way they conducted themselves.

Minutes before polling closed, the Inspector General of Namibia Police, Lt.-General Sebastian Ndeitunga appeared on national television to “thank all the voters for heeding the call of peace and security.” He also encouraged the winners of the election when they are eventually declared to claim victory responsibly and for the losers to accept defeat with humility.

Eleven political parties took part in this election. One million voters were expected to cast their ballots in 3,259 polling stations. Of these, 997 are fixed and the remainder are mobile polling stations. Helicopters were on standby in case of rain and navigation problems in remote regions but it is stil not clear if any of them have been used.

The ruling party, SWAPO is largely expected to emerge victorious – but not without strain. Leading opposition party, RDP is said to have a good chance of eating away at the SWAPO majority.

MORE UPDATES FOLLOWING