Lahja Nashuuta
Political parties and an analysts have hailed the Electoral Commission of Namibia’s Mock Voter Verification Exercise of the Enhanced and Upgraded Integrated Mobile Voter Registration System (IMVRS).
ECN chief electoral and referenda officer, Petrus Shaama, said the primary objective of the pilot exercise is to evaluate the real-time functionality and user-friendliness of the voter registration system.
“We look forward to the pilot exercise and eventual implementation of the enhanced system, and are committed to ensuring a fair and efficient electoral process for our electorate,” he said.
The exercise is seen as an important step in safeguarding the integrity of the upcoming elections by ensuring efficiency and reliability of the voting process.
The ECN this week announced the commencement of the mock voters’ registration exercise utilising IMVRS.
The exercise will be conducted in randomly-selected localities in the Oshana, Otjozondjupa and Khomas regions.
The enhanced system incorporates advanced security and verification measures to ensure the integrity of the voter verification process on polling day, and enhance the overall confidence in the electoral system, Shaama said.
Progressive
Political analysts Ndumba Kamwanyah described the ECN’s decision as a “proactive and necessary step.”
He said testing the system before the actual election dates is crucial to ensuring the technology works as intended, identifying and resolving any potential technical glitches or vulnerabilities that could undermine the credibility of the election process.
“The pilot exercise will accord both the ECN staff and voters an opportunity to become familiar with the new system, which can help reduce confusion and errors on election day. By showing that the system has been rigorously tested, the ECN can reassure voters that the election will be fair and accurate,” Kamwanyah said.
Sharing similar sentiments was Independent Patriots for Change spokesperson Immanuel Nashinge, who said the mock verification exercise will build confidence among the voters, promote openness and accountability.
“It is an important exercise towards ensuring free and fair elections. Those are new machines, and it is good that ECN decided to test them before the election to ensure their effectiveness, usability, efficiency and readiness for use and deployment,” he said.
National Unity Democratic Organisation president Ester Muinjangue added her voice to the development.
“Any new system needs to be tested in the presence of all participating political parties. We need to verify the system. One should be able to understand the nitty-gritty of the new system. It is good to do this before elections so that we avoid any possible interference or delays,” she said.