Africa-Press – Namibia.
The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) has urged voters to use the official objection period to report irregularities around nominations of candidates, especially those seeking election in constituencies where they do not reside.
The objection period should also be used to report any irregularities around voter registration.
The Electoral Act requires that a person must have lived in a local authority area for 12 consecutive months before registering as a voter there. Proof of identity, age and Namibian citizenship must be presented during registration.
ECN spokesperson De Wet Siluka stressed that the commission does not have the legal power to recall councillors who violate residency requirements, but that responsibility lies with political parties. However, the public has the right to challenge such cases during the objection period.
“Before we verify and certify a nomination, we check the voter’s card to see where they registered. If someone moves after registration, it is the responsibility of both the individual and their political party to address the situation,” Siluka said.
He cautioned against relying on hearsay: “We cannot act on assumptions or rumours. Allegations must be brought to us in writing, with evidence. For example, if you know a person on the voters’ roll does not live in a constituency, you must object during the designated period,” he said.
Under Section 31, a Provisional Voters Register (PVR) must be published with names, addresses, and registration numbers, allowing the public to inspect and lodge objections.
According to Section 32 of the Electoral Act, objections to the inclusion of a voter’s name can be filed in writing with the Electoral Tribunal at designated magistrates’ offices. Grounds for objection include not meeting residency requirements. The objection must be made within 14 days of the PVR being published.
Siluka further clarified that after final certification under Section 36 of the Electoral Act, the ECN will make the final voters’ register available free of charge to all political parties.
In the past, it was reported that Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) Katutura Constituency councillor Vezemba Rodman Katjaimo does not stay in the constituency he leads, which is a direct contravention of the Regional Councils Act.
At the time, the politician confirmed owning a house in Rocky Crest but denied living there.
Evidence gathered by this newspaper suggests that Katjaimo indeed lives in Rocky Crest. The law governing regional councils dictates a councillor must be a resident of the constituency for which he or she is elected.
In another case, Omuthiya councillor Johannes Ndeutepo has been the mayor and presiding over the town’s affairs for years while employed in Windhoek on a full-time basis.
Objection period
According to the ECN election calendar, objections against names on the PVR will be carried out between 12 and 15 September 2025, while objections to the Electoral Tribunal will be conducted between 12 Sept and 2 Oct 2025.
The last day for rulings by the Electoral Tribunal will be held on 2 October 2025. The appeals and rulings by the Electoral Court will take place between 6 and 14 October 2025, while the publication of the Final Voters Register and release to political parties will be held on 24 October 2025.
The reminder follows allegations that some political parties are fielding candidates in violation of residency rules and busing voters to register outside their home constituencies.
The laws require candidates to reside where they contest.
Section 7(1) of the Local Authorities Act states: “A person shall be qualified to be elected or nominated as a member of a local authority council if he or she is ordinarily resident within the area of that local authority.”
Similarly, Section 6(1) of the Regional Councils Act provides that “A person shall be qualified to be elected as a member of a regional council if he or she is ordinarily resident within the constituency for which he or she is nominated.”
Voter importation
The latest controversy comes from the Kunene region, where the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) is accused of transporting voters from nearby villages to register to vote in the Opuwo Urban constituency. Allegations also surfaced that the same party engaged in similar conduct during the 2020 regional and local elections in Khomas.
Responding to the allegations, PDM secretary general Manuel Ngarigombe dismissed the controversy as “political phobia”, claiming the allegations are unfounded.
He denied that his party is transporting voters to “buy votes”, saying they are merely assisting residents in remote areas to reach registration points during the supplementary registration period.
“We are not importing voters. We help people in remote areas who struggle to reach registration venues. Some registered for regional council elections but not for local authority elections. We make sure they complete the process where applicable,” Ngarigombe explained.
He insisted that political parties have the right to ensure members and the public are registered.
“The law is clear: you must register where you live. We encourage people to register in their own constituencies, and we support them to get to the nearest registration points,” he said.
Ngarigombe questioned the logic of the accusations, stressing that PDM would not weaken one constituency to strengthen another.
“Why would I transport someone from Epupa to Opuwo Urban? Epupa is our stronghold. Why take people from Sesfontein to Opuwo when we also want to win Sesfontein? It makes no sense,” he argued.
“Those who can’t mobilise voters should not blame us. PDM does voter education and civic education and helps people access polling stations near them. We don’t have the resources to transport people over long distances, even if we wanted to,” he said.
In a separate case, Oshana governor Hofni Ipinge was accused of bringing voters from the Kavango region to Oshana during last year’s extended election period.
Yesterday, he said, “Yes, I assisted the eligible voters from the Omusati and the two Kavango regions with transport to Oshakati. This is because in those regions there were no open polling stations during the extra voting date that was ended by the state. Of course, there were political parties that were not happy to see people coming from other regions to come and vote in Oshakati and demanded that they must go vote in their region. But my argument was that people wanted to vote, but there were no polling stations in those regions; hence, I decided to assist them with transport to make sure that they cast their votes. “But for the upcoming regional and local authority elections, people must make use of this supplementary registration and make sure they turn up to vote because they must vote in their respective constituencies.”
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