**A court in Namibia has ruled that the National Society for Human Rights must have its status as election observers reinstated hours after polls opened.**The electoral commission withdrew the group’s status days before the vote, saying it was not impartial.
But the court said the commission must inform all polling stations that [NSHR](http://www.nshr.org.na/ -) personnel are allowed to observe the presidential and parliamentary ballots.
A BBC reporter in the capital says there are long queues despite the heat.
Swapo ruling party candidate President Hifikepunye Pohamba is seeking a second term after winning a landslide victory in 2004.
NAMIBIA GENERAL ELECTIONS
- Presidential and parliamentary ballots
- 12 presidential candidates
- 14 parties
- 72 seats in parliament
- 1.1m registered voters
- Voting on Friday and Saturday
Hidipo Hamutenya, leader of the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) which broke away from Swapo in 2007, is seen as Mr Pohamba’s main rival for the presidency in the two-day election.
The BBC’s Frauke Jensen in the capital Windhoek says many people are in the queues with umbrellas to protect themselves the sun.
She says the NSHR has been extremely vocal in its criticism of the electoral commission.
It says the voters’ roll includes constituencies that have been listed twice, voters who have been listed twice and under-age people - a discrepancy of about 180,000 voters. The Electoral Commission of Namibia has rejected the allegations.
Swapo has dominated Namibia’s politics since it gained independence in 1990 after a long struggle against rule by South Africa.