Politician named Adolf Hitler wins election in Namibia, isn't seeking world domination

Uunona Adolf Hitler (left) has won an election in Nambia. He says he is not seeking world domination. Photo / Supplied / Getty

A man named Adolf Hitler has won a local election in Namibia - but insists he has no plans to take over the world.

Uunona Adolf Hitler, 54, was elected as a local politician for the town of Ompundja, in the north of the country, with 85 per cent of the vote.

But he has distanced himself from the dead Nazi leader, saying: "My name doesn't mean I'm striving for world domination."

The African country was a former colony of Germany and shares many street and family names with the European nation.

Hitler says his father named him and says the name never impacted him as a child - until now.

"My father named me after this man. He probably didn't understand what Adolf Hitler stood for," he told Bild.

"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."

He revealed his wife calls him Adolf, but usually goes by the name Adolf Uunona, saying it would be too late to change his name officially.

Germany was forced out of the colony in 1915, with Namibia passed to South African rule 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.

It is not his first foray into politics, and he has been a popular local councillor for some time.

He is also an ardent anti-apartheid activist.