Ignatius Nkotongo Shixwameni (born 4 September 1966) is a Namibia

Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...

n politician. He is the leader of the All People's Party

All People's Party (Namibia)

The All People's Party is a political party in Namibia.Registered with the Electoral Commission of Namibia in January 2008, the party was initially made up primarily of former members of the Congress of Democrats and SWAPO political parties...

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Early life and education

Shixwameni was born in Utokota in the Shambyu

Shambyu

Shambyu is a traditional Kavango kingdom in what is today Namibia. Its people speak the Shambyu language.- References :*...

 traditional kingdom in the Kavango Region, and he earned a Master's of Arts degree from the University of Havana

University of Havana

The University of Havana or UH is a university located in the Vedado district of Havana, Cuba. Founded in 1728, the University of Havana is the oldest university in Cuba, and one of the first to be founded in the Americas...

 in Social Sciences.

Political career

Shixwameni was a SWAPO Youth League leader from 1987 to 1999 and a SWAPO Central Committee member from 1992 to 1997. Elected to Parliament in 1999 as a member of SWAPO, he joined the opposition Congress of Democrats

Congress of Democrats

The Congress of Democrats is a political party in Namibia, led by Ben Ulenga. It is an opposition party represented in the National Assembly.The party is an observer of the Socialist International.- 2004 elections :...

 (CoD) in 2000 as their chief whip

Chief Whip

The Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires.-The Whips Office:...

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2007-08 controversy

Shixwameni resigned from the CoD in December 2007 along with 21 other members. He founded a new party, the All People's Party

All People's Party (Namibia)

The All People's Party is a political party in Namibia.Registered with the Electoral Commission of Namibia in January 2008, the party was initially made up primarily of former members of the Congress of Democrats and SWAPO political parties...

, as a split from the CoD the next month. In October 2009, the APP selected him as the party's candidate for President.