Venaani elected DUA chairperson
Popular Democratic Movement ( PDM) leader McHenry Venaani was on Friday via a virtual meeting elected as the new chairperson of the Democrat Union of Africa (DUA).
Venaani will serve a three-year term.
“The confidence placed in me to steer this coalition over the next three years is overwhelming. I see this as a victory for our country, Namibia and our party, PDM, as the official opposition in Namibia,” said Venaani, who served in that position as an acting chairperson since 2018.
Venaani said it is the DUA’s mandate to strengthen, in particular, youth and women leaders on the continent.
“It is a challenge to grow the coalition and to strengthen the campaign strategies of its members. We are in an ongoing discussion about human rights issues on the continent, including the situation in Zimbabwe, as well as political strife in Mali. We understand that human rights on the continent will only continue to improve if we invest in youth and women,” said Venaani.
He reiterated that the position is a win for Namibia and places the country at the forefront of regional engagement.
The DUA is an affiliate of the International Democratic Union and an alliance of 32 democratic parties across the continent that follow the ideology of centre, centre-right politics, free-market economies, political liberty, personal freedom and equality of opportunity under the rule of law.
It acts as a vital think-tank where parties with similar views can exchange ideas on regional policies, allowing them to speak with one voice to promote democracy and human rights on the continent.
Venaani is deputised by Ghana’s ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) secretary general John Boadu, and South Africa’s Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) secretary general Narend Singh was elected treasurer.
The DUA has a full- time secretariat, situated in Ghana.
One of the biggest parties in Africa, the BTP in Nigeria, also belong to the DUA.