May date firming up for local authority polls

THE Directorate of Elections has proposed that the next local authority elections be held on May 14.

Director of Elections Phillemon Kanime said yesterday the proposal had been tabled and accepted in principle by the political parties. But the date will be confirmed after the Grootfontein by-election, scheduled for February 12.Kanime said the Directorate had opted for May 14 because it fell in the school holidays and the schools were wanted for polling booths.Since the local authority elections were just around the corner, Kanime said they would conduct supplementary voter registration next month.According to the provisional schedule for this year’s elections, he said, the election for the Tsumeb Regional Councillor was planned for March 30.But, Kanime said, the schedule might be affected by court proceedings related to the DTA’s challenge on the registration of the National Unity Democratic Movement (Nudo).Initially, Swapo wanted to postpone the local authority elections until 2005.Government caved in to opposition on this point but proposed that the elections be held by July 31 2004.The drama played itself out on the last sitting day of the National Assembly in 2003 when Swapo made an eleventh-hour bid to push through an amendment to the Local Authorities Act of 1992, postponing the elections for up to a year.The ruling party wanted the amendment Bill passed and consultations on the election date to start this year, but the opposition was adamant that it should pledge to hold the polls by June.The business of the House ground to a halt for an hour while the parties struggled to defuse 3a deadlock over whether the next polls should be conducted this year or next.When Regional and Local Government and Housing Minister Joel Kaapanda tabled the amendment, Government appeared to have mustered opposition support for the postponement, justifying the decision in terms of cost savings and countering voter apathy.While reluctantly agreeing that the deferment had become inevitable, opposition lawmakers were unconvinced by the reasons given for holding local authority polls as late as March 2005.As a circuit-breaker, Prime Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab moved that the parties negotiate on the issue and Swapo Chief Whip Ben Amathila later announced that his party was ready to “concede some ground” on the timing.The amendment Bill was then passed, before the Assembly went into recess until February 17.But the date will be confirmed after the Grootfontein by-election, scheduled for February 12. Kanime said the Directorate had opted for May 14 because it fell in the school holidays and the schools were wanted for polling booths. Since the local authority elections were just around the corner, Kanime said they would conduct supplementary voter registration next month. According to the provisional schedule for this year’s elections, he said, the election for the Tsumeb Regional Councillor was planned for March 30.But, Kanime said, the schedule might be affected by court proceedings related to the DTA’s challenge on the registration of the National Unity Democratic Movement (Nudo). Initially, Swapo wanted to postpone the local authority elections until 2005. Government caved in to opposition on this point but proposed that the elections be held by July 31 2004. The drama played itself out on the last sitting day of the National Assembly in 2003 when Swapo made an eleventh-hour bid to push through an amendment to the Local Authorities Act of 1992, postponing the elections for up to a year. The ruling party wanted the amendment Bill passed and consultations on the election date to start this year, but the opposition was adamant that it should pledge to hold the polls by June. The business of the House ground to a halt for an hour while the parties struggled to defuse 3a deadlock over whether the next polls should be conducted this year or next. When Regional and Local Government and Housing Minister Joel Kaapanda tabled the amendment, Government appeared to have mustered opposition support for the postponement, justifying the decision in terms of cost savings and countering voter apathy. While reluctantly agreeing that the deferment had become inevitable, opposition lawmakers were unconvinced by the reasons given for holding local authority polls as late as March 2005. As a circuit-breaker, Prime Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab moved that the parties negotiate on the issue and Swapo Chief Whip Ben Amathila later announced that his party was ready to “concede some ground” on the timing. The amendment Bill was then passed, before the Assembly went into recess until February 17.