Politician named Adolf Hitler wins Namibian local election

Uunona Adolf Hitler says he is nothing like his unfortunate namesake.
Uunona Adolf Hitler says he is nothing like his unfortunate namesake. Photo credit: Eagle FM Namibia/Getty

A Namibian politician named Adolf Hitler has won a local election, and promised his constituents he has no plans to instil a dictatorship. 

Uunona Adolf Hitler, 54, was elected as a local politician for the town of Ompundja, with a staggering 85 percent of the vote.

"My name doesn't mean I'm striving for world domination," he is quoted as saying by Bild.

He says his father named him after the German dictator but "he probably didn't understand what Adolf Hitler stood for".

"As a child I saw it as a totally normal name. Only as a teenager did I understand that this man wanted to subjugate the whole world and killed millions of Jews."

Namibia was a former colony of Germany and shares many of its street and family names as a result.

It passed to South African rule in 1915 before gaining independence in 1990.

Uunona Adolf Hitler won his election by 1196 votes to 213, which handed him a seat on the regional council.

A passionate anti-apartheid activist, he has been a popular local councillor for some time.