ECN targets 1.7 million voters
• Voters urged to do their part by registering
Political parties feel the electoral body is not doing enough to create awareness about next month's voter registration process.
The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) has set its sights on ensuring that all 1 731 790 eligible voters in the country are registered before Namibians head to the polls later this year.
ECN made the projection based on preliminary census results released by the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA), which place Namibia’s population at just over the three-million mark.
“The preliminary population statistics released by the NSA on 13 March indicate that the Namibian population has increased to 3 022 401. Derived from the population census, 1 731 790 Namibian citizens are eligible to register as voters. Therefore, based on experiences and lessons learnt during the 2014 general registration of voters (GRV) period, meticulous planning has gone into the preparations for the 2024 GRV, given the resources invested in the execution of this process,” the ECN said in a statement recently.
The commission has identified 4 297 registration points in all 121 constituencies across the country, with 3 849 registration officials to be deployed. The registration points were determined based on various factors such as population density, it said.
‘Oblivious’
Despite the ECN’s attempts to ensure that citizens participate in the registration and voting process, political analyst Rui Tyitende said it can do more in terms of its civic education process.
“The average Namibian is oblivious to the existence of the ECN. We only hear about the ECN when there is an election, but they have permanent employees who get paid whether there are elections or not. So, what exactly do they do during a non-election cycle? Do they count previous ballots? Write reports? Prepare for five years for the next election?” he wanted to know.
It is imperative that the ECN’s presence is felt not only in an election year, but throughout to ensure the voting public is aware of its existence, Tyitende added.
“They need to be visible everywhere, every time, so that their mandate sinks into the public imagination. An aggressive campaign needs to be launched that speaks of a correlation between the country’s poor state and low election participation. That should be the primary focus of voter conversations, and not education. Voter education is condescending; voter conversations are emancipatory.”
Not doing enough
Landless People’s Movement (LPM) spokesperson Lifalaza Simataa echoed Tyitende’s sentiments, adding that not much is being done on the part of the ECN to encourage participation in the election process.
“We believe they are not doing enough. It was only recently that they updated some of the information on their website as to how to vote and what Namibian citizens will need to be able to register to vote,” he said.
According to him, the ECN also does not have an active public relations campaign to encourage registration and voting.
“It’s weeks after they announced the registration dates. This information is merely on their website and there are no other current and active campaigns by the ECN in order to inform the masses about how to register or the importance of registration,” he said.
Our role
Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) spokesperson Immanuel Nashinge said the voting public too had a role to play in ensuring they participate in the voting process.
“As the citizens, we have a role to play and a constitutional obligation to prioritise electoral activities and our involvement in elections, so I believe it is not only the ECN that we must question, but all of us as citizens. There is, however, more that the ECN can do. Much is not being done, because if you look at their activities... If you are truly concerned, if every voting period it’s the same results, you need to change your strategies,” he said.
“There is more the ECN can do in terms of improving their civic education programme and improving participation in elections, and there is no harm in engaging lawmakers to look into introducing laws to compel every citizen to participate in the elections. I think there is no harm in that. If everyone is participating, you are cementing our democracy.”
Nashinge also called on government to avail more funding to the ECN to allow its effective functioning.
“It’s not easy to improve and bring in new strategies; it requires money. Funding is also a problem from central government. This could be the reason they are not doing much, but the ECN needs to be on the ground to understand the citizens of the country.”
ECN made the projection based on preliminary census results released by the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA), which place Namibia’s population at just over the three-million mark.
“The preliminary population statistics released by the NSA on 13 March indicate that the Namibian population has increased to 3 022 401. Derived from the population census, 1 731 790 Namibian citizens are eligible to register as voters. Therefore, based on experiences and lessons learnt during the 2014 general registration of voters (GRV) period, meticulous planning has gone into the preparations for the 2024 GRV, given the resources invested in the execution of this process,” the ECN said in a statement recently.
The commission has identified 4 297 registration points in all 121 constituencies across the country, with 3 849 registration officials to be deployed. The registration points were determined based on various factors such as population density, it said.
‘Oblivious’
Despite the ECN’s attempts to ensure that citizens participate in the registration and voting process, political analyst Rui Tyitende said it can do more in terms of its civic education process.
“The average Namibian is oblivious to the existence of the ECN. We only hear about the ECN when there is an election, but they have permanent employees who get paid whether there are elections or not. So, what exactly do they do during a non-election cycle? Do they count previous ballots? Write reports? Prepare for five years for the next election?” he wanted to know.
It is imperative that the ECN’s presence is felt not only in an election year, but throughout to ensure the voting public is aware of its existence, Tyitende added.
“They need to be visible everywhere, every time, so that their mandate sinks into the public imagination. An aggressive campaign needs to be launched that speaks of a correlation between the country’s poor state and low election participation. That should be the primary focus of voter conversations, and not education. Voter education is condescending; voter conversations are emancipatory.”
Not doing enough
Landless People’s Movement (LPM) spokesperson Lifalaza Simataa echoed Tyitende’s sentiments, adding that not much is being done on the part of the ECN to encourage participation in the election process.
“We believe they are not doing enough. It was only recently that they updated some of the information on their website as to how to vote and what Namibian citizens will need to be able to register to vote,” he said.
According to him, the ECN also does not have an active public relations campaign to encourage registration and voting.
“It’s weeks after they announced the registration dates. This information is merely on their website and there are no other current and active campaigns by the ECN in order to inform the masses about how to register or the importance of registration,” he said.
Our role
Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) spokesperson Immanuel Nashinge said the voting public too had a role to play in ensuring they participate in the voting process.
“As the citizens, we have a role to play and a constitutional obligation to prioritise electoral activities and our involvement in elections, so I believe it is not only the ECN that we must question, but all of us as citizens. There is, however, more that the ECN can do. Much is not being done, because if you look at their activities... If you are truly concerned, if every voting period it’s the same results, you need to change your strategies,” he said.
“There is more the ECN can do in terms of improving their civic education programme and improving participation in elections, and there is no harm in engaging lawmakers to look into introducing laws to compel every citizen to participate in the elections. I think there is no harm in that. If everyone is participating, you are cementing our democracy.”
Nashinge also called on government to avail more funding to the ECN to allow its effective functioning.
“It’s not easy to improve and bring in new strategies; it requires money. Funding is also a problem from central government. This could be the reason they are not doing much, but the ECN needs to be on the ground to understand the citizens of the country.”
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