'Adolf Hitler' has won a local council election in Namibia

Adolf Hitler Uunona was elected as a local councillor
Adolf Hitler Uunona was elected as a local councillor Copyright Credit: Namibia Votes
By Euronews
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The new councillor, whose full name is Adolf Hitler Uunona, won 85% of the vote in a recent election

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'Adolf Hitler' has been elected as a local councillor in Namibia - although it's not quite what you might think.

The new councillor, whose full name is Adolf Hitler Uunona, won 85% of the vote last Wednesday in the Ompundja constituency. 

He represents the SWAPO party, which began as a liberation movement and has campaigned against white minority rule. 

The 54-year-old told Germany's BILD newspaper his father had given him the name likely without having an idea of what it represents.

"There really is no reason for us to be here and sitting discussing my name," said Uunona, who grew up in the former German colony of German South West Africa. "How will this contribute to the development of Namibia?"

On the road, the councillor is known as Adolf Uunona and his wife would usually just refer to him as Adolf - choosing not to use the name Hitler.

As the home of a former German colony, it is not surprising to hear such names in the area.

Numerous street and place names also bear witness to the colonial past, such as Luderitz, Mariental and Uhlenhorst.

There are also German-language radio stations and newspapers.

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