Nahas plans to sue ECN

MINISTER of Defence Nahas Angula says he will take legal action against the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) if he receives the blessing of Cabinet next week, as he continues efforts to ensure that soldiers are registered for the upcoming elections.

The first Cabinet meeting of the year is set to take place next week, and Angula wants to use that opportunity to discuss the ECN, the elections watchdog he has accused of misinterpreting the law and disenfranchising members of the defence force by demanding that they produce municipal bills to register for the local authority elections.

Angula confirmed to The Namibian yesterday that he had consulted his lawyer for legal advice, adding that Cabinet will advise and make recommendations on the way to deal with the issue, which has irked senior ruling party officials, who perceive the insistence on municipal bills by ECN as a plot to deprive the masses of their right to vote.

Sources say the Cabinet discussion will also be used as a platform to pressure ECN into looking at ways to relax its rules through publishing a gazette to allow voters to register.

ECN’s rules have not only affected the masses in informal settlements who do not have water or electricity connections but tenants in some town houses and complexes who claim that they do not have individual bills.

“My problem is that I have soldiers [staying] at [military] bases who are being turned away because they do not have those statements,” Angula was quoted as saying in yesterday’s report.

The minister further accused the electoral watchdog of being stuck in the Stone Age by ignoring technological advances, saying these days most people use mobile phones and internet to pay [municipal] bills. He alleges that the ECN is trying to give voting powers to those who own properties only.

“That is the construct of ECN,” he said, adding that the law only stipulates that proof of residence is provided by “any statement, certificate, etc”.

“The fact that ECN is refusing to accept the previous voters’ card as evidence of residence is itself a travesty. My soldiers are being disenfranchised,” Angula added.

Angula, who was also part of the team that crafted the Namibian Constitution, said the Electoral Act is too broad, and there is no clause, which stipulates that people should provide the documents that are being requested.

ECN chairperson Nontemba Tjipueja, however, defended the commission’s stance saying they are doing things legally.

“It is in terms of the current Electoral Law, and it is valid until a new law is implemented,” she said.

Tjipueja said she consulted soldiers on Friday. “I spoke to some soldiers, and they understood what they should do if they fail to provide water and electricity bills as proof of residence. They can get somebody to vouch for them,” she said.

The Deputy Secretary of the Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) Veikko Nekundi also joined Angula in branding ECN’s stance “as complete unrealistic, and below common sense” as few people are willing to escort other people to polls. He said possible amendments should have been made on time in order to allow people to register as voters.

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