Steven Klukowski
KEETMANSHOOP – The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) and United People’s Movement (UPM) recently formed a political coalition with the purpose of bringing up a stronger front to challenge Swapo’s current two-thirds majority in the National Assembly.
This was said by UPM vice-chairperson Jan van Wyk at a PDM rally in Keetmanshoop last weekend.
“After looking at our aims we realise that it is aligned in the same manner, hence we formed the coalition,” Van Wyk explained.
In terms of the allocation of seats in parliament after the upcoming elections, he said the two political movements had agreed to share it.
“Seats number 6, 13 and 18 will be allocated to the UPM whilst the other seats will go to the PDM, based on the number of votes obtained during elections by the two parties,” he added.
Van Wyk furthermore believes that the only way of bringing change is to break the ruling party’s two-third majority. “Our party’s members are in full agreement with this coalition which has been approved on the highest level of our party’s structure,” he continued.
He said that part of the coalition’s strategy is to get more seats since they will strive to have more representation at regional and town council level in future. Van Wyk further emphasised that he and PDM president McHenry Venaani have had a good working relationship since 2009 and that their ideas were in agreement since then.
He called on other opposition parties to unite with them in striving towards their ultimate goal of breaking the two-third majority.
The two parties signed a coalition agreement on 28 August this year, saying their parties have common goals of representing the philosophy and interests of the masses.
As part of the agreement, UPM and PDM will continue to exist as separate entities but under one umbrella to be called UPM-PDM Coalition. – Additional reporting by Nampa