OMBOTO – Only 29 eligible voters cast their votes at the Omboto polling station in the Oshikoto region on Friday, the Electoral Commission of Namibia’s (ECN) electoral officer for Oshikoto, Ester Hipangelwa, has said.

Hipangelwa in an interview with Nampa on Friday attributed the low turnout to poor road conditions in the Nehale Lyampingana constituency, where Omboto is situated.

She commended the 29 voters who made the effort to vote, despite these challenges.

“The terrain is too heavy for cars to drive here,” said Hipangelwa.

People from King Kauluma, Omwifi, Ekonghola villages cast their votes at Omboto polling station.

Hipangelwa said the other challenge in the constituency is the poor network coverage, which she said might delay the release of election results.

Oshikoto Regional Council chairperson, Samuel Shivute earlier raised concern about the distance people would have to travel to reach the Omboto polling station, saying Omboto village is situated in a remote area where there are huge challenges such as the condition of the roads.

“It is a seven-hour drive to the polling station from Omuthiya and the road is terrible,” he said in an interview with this news agency.

He said the ECN should have instead opened a polling station in Omuthiya, which is accessible to most people in the region. ECN Oshikoto regional electoral officer, Ester Hipangelwa, however, explained that many voters from the area were unable to cast their votes because of ballot paper shortages, which led to the ECN extending the voting process at the Omboto polling station. -Nampa