Lukato denounces ‘Swapo’ electoral commission

The leader of the National Democratic Party (NDP), Martin Lukato Lukato, has accused the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) of being the only hindrance in his party’s quest to ascend to parliament and eventually the governance of the country.

Speaking to Desert Radio this morning, Lukato did not mince his words, saying that his party did not fail to win a seat in the National Assembly, but rather that the political system that Namibia is deploying is failing the NDP.

“The system is robbing the NDP. We were supposed to have been in power a long time ago because Namibians have always rallied behind us, but the system has been blocking us and continues to do so,” he said.

“We have an electoral commission of Namibia which was created by the regime in power. This regime appoints commissioners out of Swapo party loyalists, who in turn decide which party goes to parliament, loses out, or governs the country. How then are we going to win?” Lukato queried.

The veteran politician maintained that the only free and fair elections to have been hosted in this country were that of 1989, which led to the independence of Namibia from apartheid South Africa. This, he said, is because the polls and subsequent tallying of results were administered by an independent commission.

“Thereafter, what we have is a ‘Swapo’ electoral commission. That party has created and controls the so-called ECN,” Lukato said, rubbishing the presenters’ insistence that the electoral body was in fact established by the Electoral Act.

“NDP has been calling for the reform of the ECN to make way for the creation of an independent electoral commission. In fact, we are calling for the United Nations (UN) to step in and supervise the forthcoming elections. We do not recognise this Swapo electoral commission,” he said.

Queried on whether his call for the UN’s involvement might not make a mockery of his party, in light of Namibia being a sovereign state, an irate Lukato reminded the host that he is fully aware of what he is talking about, having been party to UN observer missions and peace keeping missions in the past.

With regard to his party’s preparations for the forthcoming elections, Lukato maintained that they are taking a holistic approach to their campaign in order to ensure maximum representation across all 14 regions of Namibia.

“We are working on our campaign strategy and it will be made known to the masses upon its launch. Our plan is to reach all 14 regions of the country, promoting our plan to establish a government of national unity with all interested political parties and independent individuals,” he said.