Editing SWAPO (section)

== History ==
=== Background and foundation ===
{{See also|Ovamboland People's Organization}}
[[German South West Africa]] was established in 1884. After World War I, the [[League of Nations]] gave South West Africa, formerly a [[German colonial empire|German colony]], to the United Kingdom as a [[League of Nations mandate|mandate]] under the administration of [[Union of South Africa|South Africa]].<ref name="Vantaa">{{cite web |url=http://www.vantaa.fi/i_perusdokumentti.asp?path=1;218;58993;1858;29614;75003;75071 |title=The South Africa Mandate 1915–1989 |last=Eerikäinen |first=Marjo |date=14 July 2008 |publisher=Vantaa |access-date=15 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718093128/http://www.vantaa.fi/i_perusdokumentti.asp?path=1;218;58993;1858;29614;75003;75071 |archive-date=18 July 2011 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> When the [[National Party (South Africa)|National Party]] won the [[1948 South African general election|1948 election in South Africa]] and subsequently introduced [[apartheid]] legislation,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/governence-projects/SA-1948-1976/1948-election.htm |title=Formation of the South African Republic |publisher=South Africa History Online |access-date=15 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080816015132/http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/governence-projects/SA-1948-1976/1948-election.htm |archive-date=16 August 2008 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref> these laws were also applied to South West Africa which was considered the ''de facto'' fifth [[Provinces of South Africa#History|province of South Africa]].<ref name="EISA">{{cite web |url=http://www.eisa.org.za/WEP/namoverview6.htm |title=Namibia: Apartheid, resistance and repression (1945–1966) |date=August 2009 |publisher=Electoral Institute for the Sustainability of Democracy in Africa |access-date=15 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110420064235/http://www.eisa.org.za/WEP/namoverview6.htm |archive-date=20 April 2011 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

SWAPO was founded on 19 April 1960 as the successor of the [[Ovamboland People's Organization]]. Leaders renamed the party to show that it represented all Namibians. But, the organisation had its base among the [[Ovambo people|Ovambo]] people of northern Namibia, who constituted nearly half the total population.<ref name="Kae"/>

=== Struggle for independence ===
{{See also|1971–72 Namibian contract workers strike}}
During 1962, SWAPO had emerged as the dominant nationalist organisation for the Namibian people. It co-opted other groups such as the [[South West Africa National Union]] (SWANU), and later in 1976 the [[Namibia African People's Democratic Organisation]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PFYhaULYUr4C&dq=Namibia+African+People's+Democratic+Organisation&pg=PA99 |via=[[Google Books]] |title=A History of Resistance in Namibia |page=99 |first=Peter H. |last=Katjavivi |year=1988 |publisher=Currey |isbn=0-86543-144-2}}</ref> SWAPO used [[guerrilla tactics]] to fight the [[South African Defence Force]]. On 26 August 1966, the first major clash of the conflict took place, when a unit of the [[South African Police]], supported by the [[South African Air Force]], exchanged fire with SWAPO forces. This date is generally regarded as the start of what became known in South Africa as the [[South African Border War|Border War]].{{cn|date=December 2024}}

One important factor in the fight for independence was the [[1971-72 Namibian contract workers strike]], which fought for the elimination of the contract labor system and independence from South Africa. An underlying goal was the promotion of independence under SWAPO leadership.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ovambo migrant workers general strike for rights, Namibia, 1971-72 {{!}} Global Nonviolent Action Database |url=https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/ovambo-migrant-workers-general-strike-rights-namibia-1971-72#bootstrap-panel--3--content |access-date=2023-03-06 |website=nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite journal |last1=Rogers |first1=Barbara |title=Namibia's General Strike |journal=Africa Today |date=1972 |volume=19 |issue=2 |pages=3–8 |jstor=4185227 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4185227 |issn=0001-9887}}</ref>

In 1973, the [[United Nations General Assembly]] recognised SWAPO as the 'sole legitimate representative' of Namibia's people.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1469048.stm |title=Country Profiles – Timeline: Namibia |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=8 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090112042754/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1469048.stm |archive-date=12 January 2009 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref> The Norwegian government began giving aid directly to SWAPO in 1974.<ref name="norway">{{cite book |last=Eriksen |first=Tore Linné |url=http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn%3Anbn%3Ase%3Anai%3Adiva-228 |title=Norway and National Liberation in Southern Africa |pages=90 |author-link=Tore Linné Eriksen}}</ref>

The country of [[Angola]] gained its independence on 11 November 1975 following its [[Angolan War of Independence|war for independence]]. The leftist [[Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola]] (MPLA), supported by [[Cuban intervention in Angola|Cuba]] and the [[Soviet Union]], came to power. In March 1976, the MPLA offered SWAPO bases in Angola for launching attacks against the South African military.{{Cn|date=July 2024}}

===Independent Namibia===
When Namibia gained its independence in 1990, SWAPO became the dominant political party. Though the organisation rejected the term ''[[South West Africa]]'' and preferred to use ''Namibia'', the organisation's original name—derived from the territory's old name—was too deeply rooted in the independence movement to be changed. However, the original full name is no longer used; only the acronym remains.<ref name="Kae">{{cite news |title=The founder of Swapo |first=Kae |last=Matundu-Tjiparuro |newspaper=[[New Era (Namibia)|New Era]] |date= 19 April 2010}}</ref> SWAPO, and with it much of Namibia's government and administration, continues to be dominated by the [[Ovambo people|Ovambo ethnic group]], despite "considerable efforts to counter [that] perception".<ref>{{Cite book |title=Traditional Leadership and Democratisation in Southern Africa: A Comparative Study of Botswana, Namibia, and Southern Africa |last=Düsing |first=Sandra |publisher=LIT Verlag Münster |year=2002 |pages=125–126 |isbn=9783825850654 |series=Studien zur Politikwissenschaft |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d879H9_-IZ0C&q=swapo+dominated+by+ovambo&pg=PA126 |access-date=3 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204000811/https://books.google.com.na/books?id=d879H9_-IZ0C&pg=PA126&lpg=PA126&dq=swapo+dominated+by+ovambo&source=bl&ots=TU-MDXQFrW&sig=fwJ9WAEUcvE9vQPaTDyfE8kFx54&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiZxrCQ6onZAhUTQMAKHXN9AAMQ6AEIMjAB#v=onepage&q=swapo%20dominated%20by%20ovambo&f=false#v=onepage&q=swapo%20dominated%20by%20ovambo&f=false |archive-date=4 February 2018 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>

SWAPO president [[Sam Nujoma]] was declared Namibia's first [[President of Namibia|President]] after SWAPO won the [[Namibian parliamentary election, 1989|inaugural election in 1989]]. A decade later, Nujoma had the constitution changed so he could run for a third term in 1999, as it limits the presidency to two terms.{{Cn|date=July 2024}}

In 2004, the SWAPO presidential candidate was [[Hifikepunye Pohamba]], described as Nujoma's hand-picked successor.<ref name="chosen">{{cite web |year=2004 |url=http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=44135&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=NAMIBIA |title=NAMIBIA: Election expected to be low-key |publisher=IRIN |access-date=9 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061123023759/http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=44135&SelectRegion=Southern_Africa&SelectCountry=NAMIBIA |archive-date=23 November 2006 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="Elections in Namibia">{{cite web |url=http://africanelections.tripod.com/na.html |title=Elections in Namibia |access-date=7 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514094402/http://africanelections.tripod.com/na.html |archive-date=14 May 2011 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}</ref> In 2014, the SWAPO presidential candidate was [[Hage Geingob]], who was the vice-president of SWAPO. In 2019 [[2019 Namibian general election|presidential election]], president Geingob won his second five-year term as Namibian president.<ref>{{cite news |title=Namibia election: president wins second term despite scandal and recession |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/01/namibia-election-president-wins-second-term-despite-scandal-and-recession |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=1 December 2019 |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:SWAPO campaign vehicle.jpg|thumb|300px|right|SWAPO election campaign vehicle]]