No by-election for Otjinene

OTJINENE residents will spend another four months without a regional councillor.

The Electoral Commission of Namibia has decided not to call another by-election until the November regional elections that will be held countrywide. Director of Elections Phillemon Kanime told The Namibian on Friday that the decision was taken after protracted consultations with with the Office of the Attorney General and the political parties that contested the by-election on May 14.The voting process had to be suspended mid-way after the ECN ran out of ballot papers.”This regrettable occurrence was a result of an unfortunate administrative oversight,” said Kanime on Friday.He said the intervening lapse of time since May 14 would make it impractical to continue with the by-election and that residents would have an opportunity to vote in the next regional elections, slated for November 29 and 30.The ECN spent the past more than two months consulting the Office of the Attorney General.It was expected to ask the High Court to declare the May election in Otjinene null and void and obtain a court order directing fresh election in the constituency.In a week’s time it will be exactly five months since Regional and Local Government and Housing Minister Joel Kaapanda declared – on February 29 – a vacancy in the Otjinene constituency after former Regional Councillor Billy Katjatenja, resigned from the DTA to join the National Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo).The Regional Councils Act of 1992 prescribes a 90-day limit for holding a by-election whenever a vacancy occurs in the regional council.Director of Elections Phillemon Kanime told The Namibian on Friday that the decision was taken after protracted consultations with with the Office of the Attorney General and the political parties that contested the by-election on May 14.The voting process had to be suspended mid-way after the ECN ran out of ballot papers.”This regrettable occurrence was a result of an unfortunate administrative oversight,” said Kanime on Friday.He said the intervening lapse of time since May 14 would make it impractical to continue with the by-election and that residents would have an opportunity to vote in the next regional elections, slated for November 29 and 30.The ECN spent the past more than two months consulting the Office of the Attorney General.It was expected to ask the High Court to declare the May election in Otjinene null and void and obtain a court order directing fresh election in the constituency.In a week’s time it will be exactly five months since Regional and Local Government and Housing Minister Joel Kaapanda declared – on February 29 – a vacancy in the Otjinene constituency after former Regional Councillor Billy Katjatenja, resigned from the DTA to join the National Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo).The Regional Councils Act of 1992 prescribes a 90-day limit for holding a by-election whenever a vacancy occurs in the regional council.