Windhoek
By next Friday all 121 districts of the ruling party must have elected their candidates for the upcoming Regional Council and Local Authority elections.
Issuing the directive to the party’s regional coordinators earlier this month Swapo Party secretary general Nangolo Mbumba instructed all regions to ensure that the restructuring of sections, branches and districts are completed by the due date.
Together with the deadline, Mbumba issued a number of requirements that should be met by all aspiring candidates who wish to stand on a party ticket in the upcoming elections – including the requirement that potential candidates submit their curriculum vitae.
Hundreds of prospective constituency councilors are expected to compete for the 121 constituency posts on offer in less than three months’ time. The identification of candidates for the local authority election must also be concluded by September 25.
Mbumba further instructed all districts that have completed their restructuring processes to start identifying four candidates to run for the post of constituency councilor, according to the 50/50 gender equality policy.
The candidates’ names must then be forwarded to the party’s head office for vetting. Prospective candidates should be in possession of a party membership card for no less than 10 years, must possess a Namibian identification card, be a paid-up member of the party and provide their curriculum vitae.
A letter of recommendation from the regional executive committee, as well as from the national leaders assigned to the region, must also be attached.
The requirements for the local authority candidates are the same, except that they should be in possession of a membership card for no less than five years.
Mbumba said once the candidates have been vetted, the process would revert to the local structures, as each districts would then have to convene district conferences to elect their candidate.
“All regions and their respective districts should ensure that before or at the end of 25 September 2015, all 121 districts must have elected their candidates,” Mbumba reiterated.
Following the addition of 14 constituencies during the recent demarcation process, taxpayers will now have to cough up at least N$55.4 million for the annual salaries of the 121 constituency councilors to be elected.
Swapo will be one of the few parties to contest all constituencies as most smaller political parties – as in elections past – tend to choose carefully which constituencies to vie for.
Despite the exact election date not being set yet, the likelihood of the polls taking place toward the end of November, or during the first week of December, is said to be very high.