South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO)
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SWAPO Party of Namibia
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| Abbreviation | SWAPO |
| President | Hage Geingob |
| Secretary-General | Nangolo Mbumba |
| Founder |
Andimba Toivo ya Toivo Sam Nujoma |
| Founded | 19 April 1960 |
| Headquarters | Windhoek, Namibia |
| Newspaper | Namibia Today |
| Think tank | SWAPO Think Tank |
| Youth wing | SPYL |
| Women's wing | SWAPO Women's Council |
| Elder's wing | SWAPO Elders Council |
| Paramilitary wing | People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) (integrated into Namibia Defence Force) |
| Ideology |
African nationalism Social democracy |
| Political position | Centre-left |
| International affiliation | Socialist International |
| African affiliation | Former Liberation Movements of SA |
| National Assembly |
77 / 96
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| Local Councillors |
226 / 327
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| SADC PF |
0 / 5
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| Pan-African Parliament |
4 / 5
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| Party flag | |
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| Website | |
| www |
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South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), [ˈswɑːpəʊ], (German: Südwestafrikanische Volksorganisation, SWAVO; Afrikaans: Suidwes-Afrikaanse Volk-Organisasie, SWAVO), officially known as SWAPO Party of Namibia, is a political party and former independence movement in Namibia. It has been the governing party in Namibia since achieving independence in 1990. In the general election held in November 2014, the party won 86.73% of the popular vote and 77 out of 96 seats.
Though the organisation rejected the term South West Africa and insisted on replacing it with Namibia, the organisation's own name—derived from the territory's old name—was too deeply rooted by independence to be changed. However, the original full name is no longer used; only the acronym remains. As of 2015, Hage Geingob has been the president of SWAPO.
After World War I the League of Nations gave South West Africa, formerly a German colony, to the United Kingdom as a mandate under the administration of South Africa. When the National Party won the 1948 election in South Africa and subsequently introduced apartheid legislation, these laws were applied as well to South West Africa. It was considered the de facto fifth province of South Africa.
SWAPO was founded on 19 April 1960 by Andimba Toivo ya Toivo and Sam Nujoma as the successor of the Ovamboland People's Congress, an organisation established in 1957 and renamed the Ovamboland People's Organization in 1959. Leaders renamed the party to show that it represented all Namibians. But, the organisation had its base among the Ovambo people of northern Namibia, who constituted nearly half the total population.
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