Loide Jason
Outapi-The Swapo Party Elders Council congress has resolved to endorse President Hage Geingob as their sole candidate for the presidential position at the Swapo Party congress in November this year.
The elders council congress ended yesterday at Outapi, with Mukwaita Shanyengana being re-elected as the secretary and Mary Masule as the deputy secretary. They returned to their positions unopposed.
President Geingob, in his closing remarks, noted that the elders council congress “outlined an unwavering determination and strong will to spearhead Swapo’s drive in achieving our developmental objectives”.
The congress elected 46 members of the elders council central committee including 14 regional secretaries as well as four nominees by the secretary.
Among the new leadership of the elders council are Eunice Iipinge who topped the female list with 226 votes followed by Helena Shiimbi who scored 217 votes. On the male list were Professor Rehabeam Auala who scored 218 votes followed by Kaujeua Kuanakao who emerged with 172 votes.
Geingob expressed his “utmost confidence in the ability of our newly elected members to continue to act as a vanguard for Swapo Party principles and ideals”.
He further pointed out that the party has committed to safeguarding peace and stability, and contributing to regional, continental and global security in order to enhance Namibia’s reputation in the region and throughout the world.
“Our newly elected members should put the objectives that I have just mentioned at the forefront of their agenda in the upcoming period of their tenure. Personal interests should be discarded in favour of national interests, which should be the only priority,” said Geingob.
There were 346 voters, electing 13 men and 13 women, meaning overall there were 9072 votes cast and which had to be tallied.
According to Attorney General Sacky Shanghala, who chaired the election, the election was free, fair, credible and transparent.
The election was conducted with the electronic voting machines (EVMs) used in the national elections, with 13 booths for the election of both the female and male elections, in which there were three voting machines per booth.
Shanghala said the election commenced at around 19:00 and the last voter was admitted into the polling station at 03:00 whilst the last voter to cast his vote was discharged from the polling station at 04:00.
“Regions seconded election observers to watch over the process of the election, commencing with unpacking of the EVMs from their cases, their connection, calibration, operations and eventual closing off of the polls including the tabulation of the results,” he announced.