WINDHOEK – The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) has announced that the next general registration of voters will be conducted from January 15 to March 02, 2014.
ECN corporate communication officer Vikitoria Hango yesterday said the dates were determined by President Hifikepunye Pohamba in line with the Electoral Act, adding that preparation for the general registration of voters is at an advanced stage.
Subsequent to the Delimitation Commission’s report, the ECN has secured new regional and constituency maps of the affected regions and constituencies and is currently conducting visits with technical personnel from the Surveyor General’s Office for the clarification and verification of new boundaries.
The ECN through its Democracy Building Unit is finalizing the development of relevant information packages and will soon commence with a nationwide voter education campaign to prepare the nation for the forthcoming voter registration and actual voting.
Hango said specific voter education strategies would be employed to ensure that eligible Namibians living in the affected regions and constituencies are registered correctly in their respective constituencies. She said the ECN has already completed the identification and selection of registration officials who will do duty during the general registration of voters.
In addition, the mobile voter registration kits to be used during the exercise have been prepared and are ready for deployment.
As prescribed in law, the ECN is obliged to register eligible Namibians abroad, and it is now working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in making necessary arrangements to ensure Namibians outside the country can be registered at Namibia’s foreign missions.
By Tonateni Shidhudhu