A woman who joined Namibia’s independence movement in the 1970s is a strong contender to become its first female leader as the country votes in a presidential election.

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is aiming to become Namibia's first female leader amid a presidential election marked by economic hardships and a desire for change in the southern African nation. As the ruling SWAPO party faces waning support,

Ndaitwah, could become the country’s first female president if elected. But the 72-year-old may be forced into a second-round run-off if she fails to garner at least half the vote

Namibians go to the polls on Wednesday to elect a new president and parliament in what could be a tough election for the ruling SWAPO party, which is seeking to extend its 34-year rule. SWAPO has governed the southern African nation since leading it to independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990.

A 72-year-old woman who joined Namibia's independence movement in the 1970s is a strong contender to become its first female leader as the country votes in a presidential election on Wednesday. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is the current vice president and the ruling SWAPO party's candidate for president and leads after the results of special early voting among citizens overseas and the armed forces were announced earlier this month.

Namibians stood in queues for several hours to vote Wednesday in elections that could usher in the desert nation's first woman leader even as the dominant SWAPO party faces the