Namibia’s President Hage Geingob, aged 82, passed away on Sunday following a battle with cancer. The presidency confirmed his death in a social media post, weeks after announcing that Geingob would travel to the United States for cancer treatment. Although the exact cause of death was not disclosed, the presidency revealed he was under medical care at the time of his passing.
Geingob, who served as prime minister in 2014 and later became president in 2015, had previously survived prostate cancer, a fact he shared with the public during his tenure as prime minister. Namibia is gearing up for presidential and parliamentary elections later this year.
During his political career, Geingob held the distinction of being Namibia’s longest-serving prime minister, with a 12-year tenure from 1990 and a shorter stint in 2012. Despite his initial electoral success, winning a significant 87% majority in the 2014 election, his popularity waned over the years. In the 2019 election, he secured only 56% of the vote.
Geingob’s presidency faced challenges, coinciding with a period of economic stagnation, high unemployment, and poverty, according to the World Bank. Additionally, his leadership was marred by corruption scandals, notably the “fishrot” controversy, involving accusations of bribery for the allocation of lucrative fishing quotas, BBC reported.
(With inputs from agencies)