ECN releases timetable for 27 November elections

Election day: 27 November
Voter registration: 3 June to 1 August
Nomination of independent candidates: 14 October
Nomination of political parties: 16 October
Voting abroad, seagoing personnel and army: 13 November

The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) has called on eligible voters to register to take part in the presidential and National Assembly elections on 27 November.

This was announced by minister of urban and rural development Erastus Uutoni during the launch of the ECN’s 2024 electoral calendar in Windhoek yesterday. “I urge us all to work together to ensure the upcoming general registration of voters and the presidential and National Assembly elections are conducted in a transparent and accountable manner, reflecting the will of the people through implementing this calendar,” he said.

Uutoni said the general voter registration period will run from 3 June to 1 August.

The nomination of independent candidates will take place on 14 October, while nominations for political parties is set for 16 October.
Namibians abroad and seafarers will be able to vote on 13 November.

Uutoni said every stakeholder in the election process has a collective obligation to address low voter turnout.

About 532 287 out of 1,3 million eligible voters did not cast their votes in the 2019 presidential and National Assembly elections.
This is compared to 18 600 who did not turn up to vote in 1989.

The Civic and Voter Education Awareness Strategy adopted by the ECN in the build-up to the 2024 general registration of voters and national elections will form the basis for delivering a democracy awareness campaign under the theme ‘Enhancing Electoral Democracy through Electoral Processes’.

“The campaign will focus on raising awareness of the significance of participating in elections and voting, as well as fostering a sense of civic duty and engagement among citizens,” Uutoni said.

The ECN introduced an integrated mobile vote registration system to handle various electoral tasks, including voter registration, identification, polling, result collation, transmission and political party management.

“Transparency is essential to preserve the credibility of the electoral process and to eliminate confusion, doubt and suspicion.

“In view of this, the commission engaged and invited political parties/associations/organisations to partake in and observe a mock registration . . . in November 2023 and January 2024 in various constituencies countrywide,” Zenia Klazen, the ECN’s operations manager, said.

REGISTRATION, BALLOT VOTING

ECN chairperson Elsie Nghikembua this week said all eligible Namibian citizens will be expected to register afresh to cast their votes in the forthcoming elections.

She said as per the Electoral Act, the commission is required to conduct general voter registration every 10 years to compile a new voters’ register.

She said this year’s elections will make use of manual ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines.

“Let us remember that the right to vote is a fundamental right that must be upheld and protected,” Nghikembua said.

SERVICE CHARTER

Chief ECN election officer Peter Shaama has launched a service charter to guide the upcoming elections.

“The charter is aimed at providing high-quality services which are responsive, accessible, impartial, transparent and consistent,” he said.