Landless People's Movement (Namibia)
The Landless People's Movement (LPM) is a political party in Namibia. It is led by former deputy minister of lands and resettlement Bernadus Swartbooi, who serves as its president and chief change campaigner, and Henny Seibeb, the party's deputy leader.[4][5][6] The party has four seats in parliament, which are occupied by the Party's President, Bernadus Swartbooi, Mootu Utaara, Isaacks Edison and Seibeb Henry.[7]
Landless People's Movement | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | LPM |
| President | Bernadus Swartbooi |
| Deputy Leader and Chief Strategist | Henny Seibeb |
| Treasurer General | Aina Kodi |
| National Events Coordinator | Ivan Skrywer |
| Operative Secretary | Edson Isaacks |
| Founded | 2017 |
| Registered | 8 February 2019 |
| Split from | SWAPO |
| Headquarters | 11 Sauer Street Windhoek Khomas Region |
| Student wing | LPM Youth and Student Command Element |
| Ideology | Social democracy[1] Democratic socialism[2] Land reform[3] Environmentalism[3] Agrarian reform[3] Left-wing populism[citation needed] Progressivism Federalism[1] |
| Political position | Centre-left to left-wing[2] |
| International affiliation | Progressive International |
| Colors | Orange Black Green |
| Slogan | Restoring Our Dignity |
| Seats in the National Assembly | 4 / 104 |
| Seats in the National Council | 6 / 42 |
| Regional Councillors | 12 / 121 |
| Local Councillors | 16 / 378 |
| Pan-African Parliament | 0 / 5 |
| Website | |
| www | |
History
The Landless People's Movement was formed after Bernadus Swartbooi, deputy minister of land reform, was fired by President Hage Geingob in December 2016 after refusing to apologise to then Land Reform Minister Utoni Nujoma, whom he accused of resettling people from other regions into the south of the country ahead of the Nama.[8][9][10]
Policies
Swartbooi has been a vocal advocate of land restitution and restorative justice for landless Namibians who were dispossessed of their land, including indigenous communities.[11] The party also favours LGBT rights, and it plans on addressing the issues of abortion and marijuana legalization. The party's youth wing is the LPM Youth and Student Command Element.
Electoral history
National Assembly elections
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Bernadus Swartbooi | 38,956 | 4.75% | 4 / 104 | 4 | 3rd | Opposition |
References
- ^ a b The Constitution of the Landless People’s Movement
- ^ a b "Opposition parties say PDM coalition efforts too late". Windhoek Observer. 30 August 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
- ^ a b c Miyanicwe, Clemans (11 November 2019). "LPM launches climate-focused manifesto". The Namibian. p. 6.
- ^ Cloete, Luqman (8 May 2018). "Landless People's Movement wants Geingob to apologise". The Namibian. p. 5.
- ^ "LAND OWNERSHIP LOBBY GROUP FORMS POLITICAL PARTY". Saba-news.org. 13 September 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
- ^ "Landless People's Movement seeking restorative justice". Lelamobile.com. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
- ^ "Landless People's Movement (LPM) – Namibian Parliament". Retrieved 2022-05-23.
- ^ "Geingob fires Swartbooi". The Namibian. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
- ^ "I was fired by thieves - Swartbooi - Politics". Namibiansun.com. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
- ^ "The Villager Newspaper Namibia". www.thevillager.com.na. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
- ^ "Swartbooi slams Govt's resettlement programme". Lelamobile.com. Retrieved 8 January 2019.