Three towns have first local elections

VOTERS at Oshikuku and Okahao will go to the polling stations tomorrow to elect their first local authority councillors although Swapo is the only party contesting the elections.Director of Elections Phillemon Kanime said on Wednesday that the Congress of Democrats failed to meet the requirements to nominate candidates for the two elections.

The Local Authority Act is, however, silent on what the Electoral Commission of Namibia must do if only one party enters candidates for elections, he said. “For safety’s sake, we will go ahead with the elections at 07h00 on Saturday and close the polling station at 21h00.The counting should be finished by midnight,” Kanime told The Namibian.He said 597 voters were registered at Oshikuku and 444 at Okahao.There will be a contest at Ruacana, where Swapo will be up against the National Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo).The town has 986 registered voters.Kanime said all election material had been sent to the towns and was being kept at Police stations.The three places were only recently proclaimed as towns.”For safety’s sake, we will go ahead with the elections at 07h00 on Saturday and close the polling station at 21h00.The counting should be finished by midnight,” Kanime told The Namibian.He said 597 voters were registered at Oshikuku and 444 at Okahao.There will be a contest at Ruacana, where Swapo will be up against the National Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo).The town has 986 registered voters.Kanime said all election material had been sent to the towns and was being kept at Police stations.The three places were only recently proclaimed as towns.