OMUTHIYA – Oshikoto regional councillors have urged the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) to address the issue of the omission of 13 registration points in various constituencies.
During an ECN stakeholder engagement at Omuthiya on Tuesday, Guinas constituency councillor Marthinu Kainda wanted to know why some of the points have been omitted, while other registration points are no longer valid.
He expressed concern that the distance between some registration points might discourage people from voting.
“We understand that the venues were registered during our predecessors, but ECN was supposed to engage with us and create proper awareness,” said Kainda. Okankolo constituency councillor Hans Nambondi said ECN should stop using information of their predecessor, but rather have a proper engagement with
them.
“I just saw recently whereby some points on the list no longer exist, or have changed names,” said Nambondi.
Omuntele constituency councillor Sackeus Nangula alleged that some registration points were established through a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ in the past, saying things have changed now.
“Some registration points in Omuntele constituency were recorded in Olukonda because of the party’s agreement,” said Nangula.
Oshikoto Regional Electoral Officer Ester Hipangelwa said they have captured the concerns raised by the councillors, and would incorporate them in the provisional voter register that will come out in August this year.
“We will revert to you upon enquiries from head office, and we strongly apologise for the injustice we did on registration points,” said Hipangelwa.
She added that the councillors should bear with them for now since the list is already published, and is circulating in the public.
ECN was also questioned about the lack of identification documents, but has advised the stakeholders
to consult Home Affairs.
The meeting aimed to interact with the public on the general registration of voters, and create awareness of the national election date, which is 27 November
2024. -Nampa