Call for a consensus electoral body

NAMIBIA needs to put in place an Electoral Commission, which is appointed or elected by Parliament.

This call was made yesterday by a section of the divided Congress of Democrats (CoD), calling itself the majority group. The proposal comes in the wake of Friday’s suspension of the Director of the Electoral Commission, Philemon Kanime, and three other top officials at the commission.Attributing Friday’s suspensions to “emerging tribal tensions” in Swapo following the formation of the Rally for Democracy and Progress, the Vice Chairperson of the group, Moses Katjiuongua, said Namibia should keep its political house clean.Katjiuongua said the Electoral Commission proposed by his group should be constituted through “consensus by all political parties taking part in the electoral process without fear, favour or discrimination”.”It is clear that the contradictions in Swapo are becoming a public scandal,” Katjiuongua said.He further accused the ruling party of hiring people from one tribe, saying that this was the “fundamental source of political corruption in Swapo”.Katjiuongua, who belongs to the CoD group led by Nora Schimming-Chase following an resolved split in the party last year, said Kanime and the others were victims of political opportunism.The Commission suspended Kanime, together with his deputy Ananias Elago, Chief Control Officer Hesekiel Shigwedha and Chief System Administrator Nicodemus Mingelus indefinitely.Many believe that Kanime’s suspension effectively amounted to him being “axed” as his term will come to an end by the middle of this year.Sources said they do not expect him to return to office before then.Former Secretary of the National Assembly Moses Ndjarakana has been put in place as the head the ECN in the meantime.The proposal comes in the wake of Friday’s suspension of the Director of the Electoral Commission, Philemon Kanime, and three other top officials at the commission.Attributing Friday’s suspensions to “emerging tribal tensions” in Swapo following the formation of the Rally for Democracy and Progress, the Vice Chairperson of the group, Moses Katjiuongua, said Namibia should keep its political house clean. Katjiuongua said the Electoral Commission proposed by his group should be constituted through “consensus by all political parties taking part in the electoral process without fear, favour or discrimination”.”It is clear that the contradictions in Swapo are becoming a public scandal,” Katjiuongua said.He further accused the ruling party of hiring people from one tribe, saying that this was the “fundamental source of political corruption in Swapo”.Katjiuongua, who belongs to the CoD group led by Nora Schimming-Chase following an resolved split in the party last year, said Kanime and the others were victims of political opportunism.The Commission suspended Kanime, together with his deputy Ananias Elago, Chief Control Officer Hesekiel Shigwedha and Chief System Administrator Nicodemus Mingelus indefinitely.Many believe that Kanime’s suspension effectively amounted to him being “axed” as his term will come to an end by the middle of this year.Sources said they do not expect him to return to office before then.Former Secretary of the National Assembly Moses Ndjarakana has been put in place as the head the ECN in the meantime.