Low youth turnout sparks apathy fears

Several polling stations across the country were hit by a low voter turnout on Wednesday – particularly among the youth – raising concerns about voter apathy.

Low turnout was observed at the Cowboy Open Market, Cowboy Clinic, and Ngweze Community Hall polling stations at midday at Katima Mulilo.

A substantial stayaway by young voters and constituency mix-ups seem to be important contributing factors.

At the Efata Lutheran Church polling station in the Samora Machel constituency, the queue was already in motion at 06h30.

However, the people queuing were mostly senior citizens and police officers.

Presiding officer Nico Lizazi says some were sent away because they were not eligible to vote for both the regional council and the local authority, or were in the wrong constituency.

Political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah has raised concerns that young voters have a history of staying away from voting stations in elections.

This, he says, is because of the frustration they feel about their voices not being heard and the lack of change in the country.

He says there is a worrisome gap between the youth and older people, who consistently queue to vote.

This absence could be the result of political leaders and institutions not having done enough to connect with the youth and inspire confidence, or show that their participation truly matters, he says.

Kamwanyah warns that if young people do not turn up in meaningful numbers, it will weaken their influence on decisions that will shape their future.

Political analyst Sakaria Johannes says the majority of young people are not based in the regions or constituencies where they registered to vote because they have moved.

“Some youth could have been registered in the north but are currently living in Windhoek, so they cannot vote for their local authorities.”

He urges the Electoral Commission of Namibia to educate the nation on this aspect to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.

Johannes attributes the apathy to a lack of interest in the local authority elections as compared to the presidential election last year.

“The attitude of the youth is that they just don’t think these elections are important,” he says.

One region that clearly suffered from a low youth voter turnout was Oshana.

The electoral commission’s voter education head in Oshana, Christine Aushona, says this trend raises concerns about the quality of democratic processes and the potential for uninformed decision-making.

Maria Abrahams, the commission’s presiding officer at Ongwediva police holding cells, says the low turnout stems from limited access to voter education, inadequate civic engagement initiatives, and socio-economic disparities between urban and rural areas.

Rural youth, in particular, told The Namibian that they face challenges such as limited access to information, inadequate civic education and fewer economic opportunities, which have deterred them from participating in electoral processes.

Maria Tuyeni (22) says she has little faith in the electoral process because she sees no change coming from elected leaders.

“I know it’s important to vote but what is the point when it’s the same people recycling themselves into positions,” she says. She adds that they see hardly any development in their constituencies and no new job opportunities.

“People are employing their relatives, so there really is no point in voting,” she says.

Outgoing Swakopmund councillor Heinrich Hafeni has expressed disappointment over the poor youth turnout in the elections, saying most voters were elderly.

Hafeni says he engaged with young people at Swakopmund ahead of the polls, and many questioned the relevance of voting and chose to stay away from the polls.

He says it is “saddening” to see young people, many of whom want jobs and opportunities, failing to take part in electing the leaders who will shape their future.

Despite the low youth turnout, Hafeni commends those who showed up, saying their participation represents a step towards accountability and shaping their future.

“Other regions saw slightly higher youth involvement, including ||Kharas and Hardap, but more needs to be done,” he says.

Popular Democratic Movement parliamentarian Maximalliant Katjimune says he does not foresee positive results for young candidates because a small number of young voters cast their votes.

He stressed, however, that the full picture of the elections was not yet available.

He advises young people to vote, adding that regardless of age, electorates should choose competent leaders.

* Additional reporting by Hileni Nembwaya and Martin Endjala

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