Voter turnout in regional council and local authority elections

Given the low turnout in regional council (RC) and local authority (LA) elections, results are frequently decided by extremely small margins – sometimes under 10 votes, and on a few occasions a single extra vote has determined the winner.

With the 2025 RC and LA elections set for 26 November, the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) points to historically weak participation in these polls.

In 2020, turnout reached only 37% for LA elections and 43% for RC elections, compared to 60% in the 2019 national election.

This low participation gives each individual vote a much heavier weight relative to national contests.

LA and RC elections arguably hold much unappreciated weight as they have a greater impact on some aspects of the public’s everyday life within their towns/communities than the broader elections.

The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) notes there is a low level of enthusiasm about these elections because the public is not well informed about their importance and purpose.

Potential voters in LA and RC elections believe the outcome is predictable and that their vote does not make a difference, when in fact the margins are often very small and a handful of additional votes could indeed change the outcome.

Local authorities have power over several public and merit goods, such as water and electricity supply, waste management, ambulance services, traffic services, housing schemes, roads, public transportation, and many more.

Some aspects do require the minister’s approval, while the power to borrow, loan, donate and grant money requires approval of the central government.

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