OTJIWARONGO – Residents of the Otjiwarongo and Grootfontein constituencies in Otjozondjupa region are set to vote for new constituency councillors in June 2025.
This is to replace their current councillors – Elder Filipe of Grootfontein and Marlayn Mbakera of Otjiwarongo constituencies – who are on the new list of members of parliament as announced on Wednesday by the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN).
Otjozondjupa Swapo Party coordinator, Immanuel Namaseb in an interview with Nampa on Friday, said the two constituency councillors, are on the Swapo party’s parliamentary list, with Filipe on number 18 and Mbakera at number 47. Swapo Party got 51 seats in the National Assembly.
“Two vacancies will be created once the two members vacate their offices as constituency councillors in March 2025,” he said.
Namaseb explained that Filipe and Mbakera will remain constituency councillors until they are sworn-in in the National Assembly on 21 March 2025, which would compel them to resign to take up their seats in the National Assembly.
Once they resign from the Otjozondjupa Regional Council, Swapo will notify ECN of the vacancies at the two constituency offices, so that by-elections can be conducted to fill the positions.
ECN’s Otjozondjupa regional electoral officer, Victoria Amutenya said on Friday once Swapo Party informs the ECN of the vacancies, the normal processes of informing other political parties will take place, as well as the supplementary registration of voters.
“ECN will also inform those political parties that such two by-elections should take place within 90 days,” she said.
Amutenya said if the two constituency councillors resign from in March 2025, the by-elections should take place in June 2025.
The State President will also be informed about the vacancies in order for the dates of the by-elections at Grootfontein and Otjiwarongo to be set, added Amutenya.
In November 2025, all eligible voters in Namibia will still vote for their constituency and local authority councillors, including those for the Grootfontein and Otjiwarongo constituencies, Amutenya said.
-Nampa