Kuzeeko Tjitemisa
WINDHOEK – Five candidates have been shortlisted for the position of CEO for the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN), New Era has learned.
The five candidates include former ECN chief Moses Ndjarakana, current ECN Director of Operations Theo Mujoro, Amon Haimbangu, Franco Cosmos and Helmuth Nawaseb.
The five shortlisted will be interviewed next week Monday.
The appointee among those shortlisted will take over from current ECN Director of Elections Professor Paul Isaak, whose term comes to an end in September.
Isaak has served the institution since the beginning of August 2013 after he was appointed by then president Hifikepunye Pohamba.
Ndjarakana, who was also appointed by Pohamba, led the electoral body from 2008 to 2013.
Cosmos is a former magistrate, who is currently self-employed as an industrial relations consultant based in Walvis Bay. He holds an LL.B degree from the University of the Western Cape. Attempts to secure profiles of other contenders proved futile.
ECN is a government agency established in 1992 under the Electoral Act of 1992.
The aim of the commission is to oversee all electoral activities starting from voter registration and political party registration, to the setting and monitoring of elections, counting of ballots and making results available.
The body is composed of a chairperson and four commissioners. The current ECN chairperson is Advocate Notemba Tjipueja.
Candidates are shortlisted by a committee consisting of the Chief Justice, a lawyer suggested by the Law Society of Namibia and a representative from the Office of the Ombudsman.
The Head of State then appoints the ECN Director from this shortlist for a five-year term.