Lahja Nashuuta

Rudolf Gaiseb

Windhoek – Close to 8 000 members of Namibia’s uniformed forces and fisheries sector employees yesterday took to the polling booths to cast their votes in this year’s Presidential and National Assembly elections.

This special vote allows registered voters who cannot vote at their voting stations on election day (27 November) due to essential work commitments, to do so. It also saw about 2 000 Namibians stationed at various foreign missions exercise their right.

 Although the security cluster, which includes the Namibian Police Force (Nampol), Namibia Correctional Services and the Namibian Defence Force (NDF), has close to 40 000 personnel, only those who will be on duty on 27 November 2024 were allowed the special vote.

The Electoral Act defines specific categories of voters who are eligible for the special vote, and that anyone else not falling in these categories will vote on 27 November. 

Electoral Commission of Namibia chairperson Elsie Nghikembua yesterday said other professionals such as City Police members, who are part of the security cluster, are not specified for the special vote in the Act.  This is after several City Police officers turned up for the special vote.

She acknowledged the need to review the Electoral Act and propose an amendment. 

Journalists, medical practitioners and security guards who will all be working on the general election day are equally not specified in the Act, and will likewise not enjoy the privilege. 

Added Nghikembua: “There has been a high turnout at all voting stations nationwide and in the diaspora, and we are satisfied with the turnout. The first person to cast his vote did so at 07h00, and by midday, thousands of people had reportedly cast their votes in Namibia and the diaspora. It has been a smooth exercise.”

Results

She said the counting will be done as soon as the voting ends at 21h00.

“As soon as the last person has voted, we will start the counting. Once the presiding officer has announced the outcome, party agents would sign (the results sheet), and the presiding officer would then also sign, indicating that indeed all of us are satisfied that these are the number of votes that went to candidate A or candidate B.
After that, the results will be pasted at the entrance of the polling station,” she continued.

The correlation of those results will only take place, together with the results of the 27 November national election. 

ECN’s Khomas regional returning officer Rakondjerua Kavari said the special vote had moved seamlessly, and election fever was high among the members of the uniformed forces. “You can feel the election fever, and people are excited. It takes about 2-3 minutes for a voter to go in and out of the booth,” he added. As per its transparency policies, the ECN opened its doors to political party delegates to observe the voting process inside the polls.

There are 18 political parties contesting the 27 November 2024 election. It is also the first time in the country that the ruling Swapo Party is fielding a female presidential candidate in Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah. Other key parties in the contest include the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) and Affirmative Repositioning (AR).

 Nghikembua said yesterday’s vote was “a testament to the fact that we are on course to deliver a credible election on 27 November 2024.” More than 1.3 million Namibians are registered to vote in this election. In 2019, only 60% of the eligible voters turned out to vote.