KEETMANSHOOP – The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) Returning Officer for the //Kharas region Jejamaije Mujoro said they registered 1 200 prospective voters in the region on Monday.
This was the first day of the general voter registration exercise which ends on 1 August, as Namibians are scheduled to return to the polls on 27 November 2024 for the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Mujoro in an interview with Nampa in Keetmanshoop said based on national statistics, the majority of those expected to register are the youth, and urged young people in the region to go out in big numbers and register.
“Most of the points within the region started on time, while some of them started 10 to 15 minutes later because of the weather and technological issues.
But we are happy with how the process is going. In terms of resources that are needed by the teams, we have acquired all those too,” she said.
//Kharas has 30 teams and 140 registration points.
Mujoro further said: “We are encouraging those who are registering now and are applicable to register for local authority elections, to do so to save resources. This means if one is registered fully now, that person will not be required to register next year for the local authority and regional council elections. In that way, it saves resources.”
When Nampa visited some of the registration points in Keetmanshoop, relatively short queues were observed. Many of those in the queues were middle-aged and elderly people.
In an interview with this news
agency, 24-year-old David van Schalkwyk said: “It will be my first time to vote. I decided to register, I want to see a change, especially for young people and sports as well. I want my voice and opinion to be heard. It is important for us the young people to vote. We are the next leaders, and we need to ensure the generation after us has a better future.”
Van Schalkwyk said he wants to see more focus put on sports development and vocational training.
-Nampa