The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) on Monday approved the registration of the Affirmative Repositioning (AR) movement to contest in the Windhoek local authority polls set for November.
This was confirmed by (ECN) chief electoral and referenda officer Theo Mujoro in a letter to AR chairperson Bernadine Johannes on Monday.
AR applied June this year to be registered as a political organisation with the ECN to be able to participate in the upcoming local authority election in Windhoek and Walvis Bay later in November.

The AR application was submitted to the ECN on 12 June along with the movement’s constitution, which has not yet been made public. 
Section 148 of the Electoral Act 5 of 2014 makes provision for associations and organisations to register and put forward candidates for local elections if at least 250 members are registered voters for that local authority.
Last September, AR unveiled its manifesto, dubbed the Windhoek Radical Transformation (WRT), in which it detailed its plans for the city.
AR plans to reduce rates and taxes, construct houses and hostels for students, implement cycling lanes and distribute thousands of bicycles, among other issues they plan to address should it win the election.

Mujoro stated, “After our previous letter, dated 17th July 2020 and your subsequent response thereto, the commission resolved on 27th July that your application fulfilled all the legal requirements of section 148 of the Electoral Act, 5 of 2014, to be registered as an organisation for the Windhoek local authority.”   

He said the government notice, in terms of section 148 (7) of the electoral act has been drafted and will be submitted to the directorate of legislative in the justice ministry, who will scrutinise the draft – and if approved by them, a date will be secured at the government gazette office for publication.

“It should be noted that the government gazette office needs a fourteen-day notice before is published. In terms of section 148 (8) of the electoral act the notice will lie for inspection for a period of thirty days from the date of publication for the lodging of objection,” Mujoro said.
Although AR leadership has said it is focused on the local elections in November, its activist-in-chief Job Amupanda at a media conference last week revealed the movement will field candidates in all 121 constituencies and 57 local authorities in the upcoming regional and local authority elections.
The movement has since appointed its fiery activist Paulus Kathanga, well known as Pau Pau, as the movement’s head of elections.
– ktjitemisa@nepc.com.na