Parties nominate candidates for Sibbinda by-election

FOUR political parties are fielding candidates for the Sibbinda regional council by-election in the Caprivi Region, scheduled to take place on September 14 to replace deceased Swapo Party councillor Felix Mukupi.

The candidates are Alfred Namayabona Chilinda for the Congress of Democrats (CoD), Alexius Sombelo Mibonda for the DTA, Assens Sibuku Malumbano for the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), and Chunga Ignatius Chunga for the Swapo Party. Chilindi is the vice president of the CoD, and served as Member of Parliament from 2007 to 2010. The DTA’s Mibonda is a teacher by profession, and a community activist. He is a senior member of the party’s regional executive. Malumbano, originally from the Caprivi Region, is the secretary of the RDP Youth League. Before Chunga was chosen as Swapo’s candidate for the by-election, there was reportedly fierce lobbying by the Minister of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, Doreen Sioka, who wanted one of her relatives as the party’s candidate, insiders said. The flamboyant Mukupi died in a car accident on June 16. According to the electoral law, a vacancy must be filled within 90 days. The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) started the registration of election officials on July 11, after which registration teams were deployed. Nominations of candidates for the Sibbinda constituency started on July 30 and closed on August 15. Supplementary registration took place from July 17 to 21. The ECN returning officer for Sibbinda, Alfred Mbukusa, yesterday could not yet say how many eligible voters were registered during the supplementary registration. He could also not say how many voters were on the provisional voters’ roll, which needed to be purged of people who have died or moved out of the constituency since the last regional council election in November 2010. But Mbukusa said there had not been any objections to names on the provisional voters’ roll that was open for scrutiny during the last four days of July. Objections could be made until August 14. The final voters’ register will be ready for approval by the participating political parties on August 22. The sample ballot paper will be ready for approval by political parties between September 4 and 8, and the election materials, including the approved ballot papers, will be dispatched between September 1 and 12.