THE Electoral Commission of Namibia has acknowledged that there were several administrative errors and other technical issues associated with the electronic voting machines (EVMs) at some polling stations during the special voting on Wednesday.
The commission said in a media statement yesterday that the special voting, however, went “remarkably according to plan”.
Specific errors reported include the issue of handling election forms, while another incident reported at a polling station in the //Kharas region was where “the ballot unit had to be disconnected from the control unit, and be re-attached after it fell while a voter was trying to get behind the voting booth”.
The commission, however, did not state the technical issues with regards to the EVMs reported by “presiding officers at a few polling stations”.
“The ECN is carefully analysing all relevant issues noted by the respective presiding officers in the occurrence books with a view to improve business processes and systems as part of preparations for the all-important national elections slated for 27 November 2019,” the statement read.
The special voting was conducted to cater for Namibians in foreign countries, those working on seagoing vessels, and members of the security forces who will be on duty within or outside the country on 27 November. All Namibians abroad who have reached the age of 18 years and are registered voters qualified to vote on Wednesday.
The ECN had 34 polling stations at Namibia’s foreign missions.
Some polling stations opened late due to the late delivery of election materials, the statement added. The actual polling process was conducted without hiccups, and all stations closed on time at 21h00 local time in the respective countries.
The commission also established 154 polling stations across 121 constituencies to facilitate voting for seafarers and members of the security services who will be on duty on 27 November.
All results from foreign missions as well as polling stations in the country were posted outside the respective polling stations.
Ballots used at foreign missions will be transported to Namibia in sealed boxes, which will be counted at the ECN headquarters under the supervision of the chief electoral officer, Theo Mujoro.
“The ECN will work very closely with all political parties and candidates to ensure that all votes are accounted for in an open and verifiable manner,” the statement added.
The commission, however, warned the public not to be swayed by tabulated results being circulated on social media.
“The ECN will soon announce the official channels through which election results will be disseminated, and hereby wishes to discourage the electorate and the general public from trusting results shared on social media platforms due to the menace of fake news and misinformation,” they stated.
