ECN expresses a view on political violence

JUST three days before the arrival of foreign election observers in Namibia, the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) has found its voice and condemned incidents of political violence that have occurred in some parts of Namibia in the past weeks.

‘The ECN would like to throw its full weight behind the head of State, the Police, civic society and some political parties who are demanding that the sporadic tides of violence linked to political campaigns are stopped,’ ECN Chairman Victor Tonchi said on Sunday. ‘The ECN has been following events and particular incidents with grave concern and therefore wants to express its caution and admonition to leaders of parties to rein in their supporters and to adhere to the electoral Code of Conduct,’ Tonchi said.While clashes occurred mainly between supporters of the ruling Swapo Party and the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), mainly in the area of Outapi in the Omusati Region, the names of these two parties did not cross Tonchi’s lips.Last week the Swapo-led Government condemned the violence coming from its own Swapo ranks. Information Minister Joel Kaapanda said: ‘Government condemns the action and behaviour of the Swapo supporters at Outapi.’The Code of Conduct stipulates that the ECN should send its own observers to the political rallies of different parties, but the ECN usually cites a lack of resources and manpower to do that.Instead of doing its own research on violence at rallies, the ECN on Sunday used figures of 18 incidents in recent weeks, which were published by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) last week on its website. On Sunday Tonchi also took a swipe at what he called ‘campaigns of perpetual negativity to tarnish the good image of the ECN’ – allegedly false statements about the integrity, credibility and neutrality of the election body and allegations that elections were rigged.’The electoral team (of the ECN) needs to be credited for their tireless efforts to create an enabling environment for free, fair, transparent and credible elections in our country,’ Tonchi said.