Namibia's president and founding prime minister Hage Geingob has died at the age of 82 while receiving treatment for cancer, and the southern African nation quickly swore in his deputy to complete the term in office.
Geingob played a central role in what has become one of Africa's most stable democracies after returning from a long exile in Botswana and the United States as an anti-apartheid activist.
He was the country's third president since it gained independence in 1990 following more than a century of German and then apartheid South African rule.
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He had been president since 2015 and was set to finish his second and final term this year. His deputy, Vice President Nangolo Mbumba, was sworn in as acting president in the capital, Windhoek, to complete the term as allowed by the constitution.
Elections are set for November. A government statement said Mbumba will lead Namibia until March 21 next year, when the winner takes office.
The presidential office said Geingob died in a local hospital on Sunday with his family by his side. He had returned to Namibia last month from the United States, where he underwent a trial two-day "novel treatment for cancerous cells," according to his office. In 2014, he said he had survived prostate cancer.
Soft-spoken but firm on advancing Africa's agenda as an important stakeholder in world affairs — "the exclusion of Africa from the Security Council is an injustice," he once said in a United Nations address — Geingob maintained close relations with the US and other Western countries but also, like many African leaders, forged a warm relationship with China and other powers.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was among the leaders who sent condolences on Sunday, saying he would "forever cherish" his memories of meeting Geingob.
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"It is difficult to overestimate his personal contribution to developing friendly relations between Namibia and Russia," a statement said.
Geingob hosted US first lady Jill Biden last year as she visited ahead of what had been an expected trip to Africa by her husband in 2023. That didn't take place.
Namibia, with just over 2.5 million people, is rich in minerals such as diamonds, gold and uranium. Despite being classified as an upper-middle-income country, socioeconomic inequalities are still widespread, according to the World Bank.
The nation on the southwestern coast of Africa enjoys political and economic stability in a region that has long seen conflict and disputed elections.
