WINDHOEK– National Council members yesterday urged the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) to ensure that every legitimate voter is registered for next year’s National Assembly and Presidential elections.
The MPs made their plea yesterday when they passed the Electoral Amendment Bill without changes paving the way for the completion of an updated national voter register. The second national voter register expires at the end of this month. The electoral body was given a deadline, which is June 30, 2014 to compile a new national voters’ roll considering the current roll will expire this month. Many of the residents affected by the newly proclaimed changes to regional and constituency boundaries will have to register to participate in future elections, as a result of the changes.
There are for example constituencies such as ≠Naminüs formerly Lüderitz, which have undergone a name change, while the Steinhausen constituency has been renamed the Okarukambe constituency which was the original name of that area. The name Luhonono has now replaced Schuckmannsburg in the Zambezi Region and all these changes have to be factored into the new national voters’ roll necessitating the amendment that was fast-tracked in the National Assembly this week. Another factor that necessitated the amendment to the Electoral Act and that will be discussed today by the National Council is that some people no longer live in their former regions and constituencies. President Hifikepunye Pohamba last week called for members of both the National Assembly and the National Council who were on recess to convene a special session that would enable parliament to amend the Electoral Act to pave the way for the updated voters’ roll and other matters. The voter registration exercise is expected to cost N$54 million and will require about 4 000 people to complete. Swapo Party MP and Tsumeb Councillor in the Oshikoto Region, Lebbius Tangeni Tobias emphasised that the ECN now has enough time (10 months) to prepare the new voters’ roll.
Tobias also rubbished allegations by the opposition parties in the National Assembly on Wednesday that Charles Namholoh, the Minister of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development, Dr Albert Kawana, Presidential Affairs Minister and the ECN officials are “sleeping on duty” regarding the voters’ roll that expires end of this month. “It is not true that someone is sleeping on duty. We want things to be done well. There is nothing wrong if the ECN is given time to prepare. Our people in the regions who moved to new constituencies need to be registered properly,” Tobias shot back.
Linyanti Constituency Councillor Cletius Sipapela supported Tobias on that score. “Opposition MPs have remarked that Kawana and Namholoh sleep on duty. It is not true. The opposition did not even know when the voters’ roll would expire. I think the opposition were the ones sleeping on duty. The 2009 election court challenge have taught the opposition that we will not leave any stone unturned and we will ensure that no one will be left unregistered,” Sipapela stressed.
Meanwhile, Rosa Kavara, Swapo Party Councillor for Rundu Rural West requested the ECN to train young people during the voter registration exercise so that they can be empowered and employed while at the same time learning about democracy. She also encouraged the ECN to ensure that people living with disabilities are registered.
Hilma Nicanor, Swapo Party MP who is also the Lüderitz Constituency Councillor urged the youth to participate fully in the national voter registration process and to turn up in big numbers, especially those who turned 18 years old already. She also urged women to get involved in the process and to prepare themselves for leadership positions. “50/50 gender representation is a reality,” she said.
Story by Albertina Nakale