NEWS - NAMIBIA | 2013-08-06Welma Enssle, Ananias Elago, Alberts Kulobone, Ndjarakana
ECN shortlists five for top job
Tileni Mongudhi
THE Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) is expected to interview five potential candidates for the commission’s top job this Friday.
The National Assembly announced on Friday, through a notice in the Government Gazette, that it had shortlisted five candidates for the position of Director of Elections.
The National Assembly announced on Friday, through a notice in the Government Gazette, that it had shortlisted five candidates for the position of Director of Elections.
The process started after incumbent Moses Ndjarakana’s term of office ended in July after being at the helm of the ECN since August 2008. Ndjarakana is also among the five shortlisted candidates expected to be interviewed this Friday.
Early in 2010, the ECN suspended Ndjarakana over an “administrative matter” for a short period. Coincidentally it was also at the time when the nine opposition parties challenged the outcome of the 2009 polls.
During the election challenge, Judge President Petrus Damaseb criticised the ECN under Ndjarakana. He was quoted in the media saying that “although the election challenge did not meet the test for the invalidation of the National Assembly results, it raised fundamental issues about electoral governance in the country and the need to run electoral affairs in a manner that avoids unnecessary suspicion created by those who run the elections”.
Damaseb, at the time, also took on Ndjarakana for dodging questions and not fulfilling his responsibilities towards the opposition parties.
At the time, Damaseb even went as far as requesting the Prosecutor-General, Martha Imalwa, to take action against Ndjarakana.
National Assembly Director of Legal Services, Pietie Husselmann, confirmed the scheduled interviews saying that in accordance with Section 5 of the Electoral Act, the public is welcome to attend and listen to the interviews.
According to the government notice, the interviews will be conducted at the Parliament Building in Room C1 starting at 10 am.
Husselman also confirmed that Section 11 of the Electoral Act makes provision for any registered voter to lodge a complaint or objection against any of the shortlisted candidates provided they do it before Friday when the interviews start.
The shortlisted candidates are incumbent Ndjarakana, current Deputy Director of Elections Ananias Elago, Director of Finance, Administration and Human Resources at the Ministry of Safety and Security Welma Enssle. Enssle also served as Secretary to the Tender Board.
The Executive Director of the Joint Consultative Council (JCC), Alberts Munyanya Kulobone, is also in the running. The JCC is a non-profit organisation which assists SME development. The fifth candidate is Dr Paul John Isaak, a lecturer at the University of Namibia.
Early in 2010, the ECN suspended Ndjarakana over an “administrative matter” for a short period. Coincidentally it was also at the time when the nine opposition parties challenged the outcome of the 2009 polls.
During the election challenge, Judge President Petrus Damaseb criticised the ECN under Ndjarakana. He was quoted in the media saying that “although the election challenge did not meet the test for the invalidation of the National Assembly results, it raised fundamental issues about electoral governance in the country and the need to run electoral affairs in a manner that avoids unnecessary suspicion created by those who run the elections”.
Damaseb, at the time, also took on Ndjarakana for dodging questions and not fulfilling his responsibilities towards the opposition parties.
At the time, Damaseb even went as far as requesting the Prosecutor-General, Martha Imalwa, to take action against Ndjarakana.
National Assembly Director of Legal Services, Pietie Husselmann, confirmed the scheduled interviews saying that in accordance with Section 5 of the Electoral Act, the public is welcome to attend and listen to the interviews.
According to the government notice, the interviews will be conducted at the Parliament Building in Room C1 starting at 10 am.
Husselman also confirmed that Section 11 of the Electoral Act makes provision for any registered voter to lodge a complaint or objection against any of the shortlisted candidates provided they do it before Friday when the interviews start.
The shortlisted candidates are incumbent Ndjarakana, current Deputy Director of Elections Ananias Elago, Director of Finance, Administration and Human Resources at the Ministry of Safety and Security Welma Enssle. Enssle also served as Secretary to the Tender Board.
The Executive Director of the Joint Consultative Council (JCC), Alberts Munyanya Kulobone, is also in the running. The JCC is a non-profit organisation which assists SME development. The fifth candidate is Dr Paul John Isaak, a lecturer at the University of Namibia.
