New party fails at poll registration

THE newly-formed Namibia Democratic Movement for Change (NDMC) – formerly known as the CDM – will contest next week’s local authority elections in only one town because it failed to register its candidates in other areas on time, The Namibian has established.

The Omaheke-based party, which has only fielded candidates at Witvlei, had intended to take part in the Gobabis and Leonardville polls. But electoral officials refused to accept its candidate lists for the latter two towns because they were submitted “after the 11h00 deadline” on April 7.This prompted the NDMC, which is headed by former Omaheke DTA councillor Frans Goagoseb, to immediately file an urgent High Court application to have the electoral body’s decision reversed.The case was struck from the court roll yesterday after the NDMC failed to show up at the High Court.The party’s legal representatives Andre Louw & Co unexpectedly withdrew from the case on Monday.In court papers filed on April 22, the NDMC seemed to concede that it had submitted its candidate lists late at Gobabis and Leonardville, but claimed that the delay was caused by confusion over the whereabouts of the Returning Officers.”I submit that each voter should be given an opportunity to cast his vote for the representative of his choice and should not be deprived of his democratic right if the nomination list was submitted a few minutes late,” the party argued in its application.The Electoral Commission contended in a counter-affidavit that the NDMC had ample time between March 19 and April 7 to acquaint itself with all relevant information regarding the registration of candidates for the elections.According to the electoral body, the party failed to turn up at the Gobabis Magistrates’ Court where candidates were being registered during the authorised time:between 09h00 and 11h00.Instead it presented its nomination list to the Returning Officer at his office 15 minutes after the deadline and was rejected.At Leonardville, the NDMC apparently did not even bother to submit the names of its candidates.It faxed a copy of its own registration certificate an hour after the registration of candidates had closed.The NDMC’s failure to field a candidate in the Gobabis constituency is seen by observers as a major blow to the party because that is where its main support is based.Goagoseb won the constituency as a DTA councillor in 1992 and, in the last Local Authority polls narrowly lost to Swapo’s Omaheke Governor Laura McLeod.But electoral officials refused to accept its candidate lists for the latter two towns because they were submitted “after the 11h00 deadline” on April 7.This prompted the NDMC, which is headed by former Omaheke DTA councillor Frans Goagoseb, to immediately file an urgent High Court application to have the electoral body’s decision reversed.The case was struck from the court roll yesterday after the NDMC failed to show up at the High Court.The party’s legal representatives Andre Louw & Co unexpectedly withdrew from the case on Monday.In court papers filed on April 22, the NDMC seemed to concede that it had submitted its candidate lists late at Gobabis and Leonardville, but claimed that the delay was caused by confusion over the whereabouts of the Returning Officers.”I submit that each voter should be given an opportunity to cast his vote for the representative of his choice and should not be deprived of his democratic right if the nomination list was submitted a few minutes late,” the party argued in its application.The Electoral Commission contended in a counter-affidavit that the NDMC had ample time between March 19 and April 7 to acquaint itself with all relevant information regarding the registration of candidates for the elections.According to the electoral body, the party failed to turn up at the Gobabis Magistrates’ Court where candidates were being registered during the authorised time:between 09h00 and 11h00.Instead it presented its nomination list to the Returning Officer at his office 15 minutes after the deadline and was rejected.At Leonardville, the NDMC apparently did not even bother to submit the names of its candidates.It faxed a copy of its own registration certificate an hour after the registration of candidates had closed.The NDMC’s failure to field a candidate in the Gobabis constituency is seen by observers as a major blow to the party because that is where its main support is based.Goagoseb won the constituency as a DTA councillor in 1992 and, in the last Local Authority polls narrowly lost to Swapo’s Omaheke Governor Laura McLeod.