LPM concerns around ‘political chaos’
The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) has rubbished claims by the Landless People’s Movement (LPM) that it brought in ballot boxes that were stashed away without political parties’ involvement.
The ballots will be used for the Keetmanshoop Rural constituency by-election being held today, an exercise prompted by the axing of former LPM councillor Gerrit Witbooi. Official figures indicate that there are about 6 675 registered voters.
The claims come amid several complaints from LPM members, who have accused the ECN of irregularities and Swapo of interference - including vote-rigging.
These concerns were made public by one of the party leaders, Ivan Skrywer, who said they were informed of a last-minute “special, very extraordinary, unusual arrangement” around the elections and that the registration of voters cards is not part of the election schedule.
“We are worried what people on the street might do. We hear there might be chaos. What you see here is just a drop in the bucket. We don’t know what will happen.
“As people who are serious about democracy and peace, we are telling the ECN you are playing with fire. We don’t know what the members will do,” he said.
Not instigation
Skrywer also questioned whether there were requests to the ECN for the issuance of new cards because some voters were left out in the cold after the polls closed in past elections.
“Swapo councillor Matthew Mumbala said Swapo people were prepared. We are not satisfied because Theo Mujoro [ECN chief electoral officer] in his arrogance could not answer. Factual and material questions that have to do with the legal provisions could not be answered.
“We have already engaged our lawyers; that is one avenue. My worry is that since Friday this has been happening. This is not an LPM instigation thing,” he fumed.
On Friday, members - including the leadership of the LPM - were up in arms because ECN staff allegedly offloaded and stored boxes and refused to disclose the contents of these boxes.
In a statement, the ECN, however, said the party’s claims are devoid of any truth, and pointed out that its officials merely assisted police officials to put the boxes in safekeeping in a storage room.
“Another falsehood being circulated on different media is that ECN is planning to issue new voter registration cards. This is totally untrue.
“The exercise is only applicable to the issuance of duplicate voter cards to already-registered voters in the Keetmanshoop Rural constituency whose voter cards are lost, destroyed or for any reason illegal,” the statement read.
Popular Democratic Movement’s (PDM) Johannes Eiman, Swapo’s Elias Kharuxab, LPM’s Willem Petrus Labuschagne and Magdalena van Staden from the Independent Patriots for Change (IPM) will contest the polls.
Meanwhile, Witbooi will contest as an independent candidate.
[email protected]
The ballots will be used for the Keetmanshoop Rural constituency by-election being held today, an exercise prompted by the axing of former LPM councillor Gerrit Witbooi. Official figures indicate that there are about 6 675 registered voters.
The claims come amid several complaints from LPM members, who have accused the ECN of irregularities and Swapo of interference - including vote-rigging.
These concerns were made public by one of the party leaders, Ivan Skrywer, who said they were informed of a last-minute “special, very extraordinary, unusual arrangement” around the elections and that the registration of voters cards is not part of the election schedule.
“We are worried what people on the street might do. We hear there might be chaos. What you see here is just a drop in the bucket. We don’t know what will happen.
“As people who are serious about democracy and peace, we are telling the ECN you are playing with fire. We don’t know what the members will do,” he said.
Not instigation
Skrywer also questioned whether there were requests to the ECN for the issuance of new cards because some voters were left out in the cold after the polls closed in past elections.
“Swapo councillor Matthew Mumbala said Swapo people were prepared. We are not satisfied because Theo Mujoro [ECN chief electoral officer] in his arrogance could not answer. Factual and material questions that have to do with the legal provisions could not be answered.
“We have already engaged our lawyers; that is one avenue. My worry is that since Friday this has been happening. This is not an LPM instigation thing,” he fumed.
On Friday, members - including the leadership of the LPM - were up in arms because ECN staff allegedly offloaded and stored boxes and refused to disclose the contents of these boxes.
In a statement, the ECN, however, said the party’s claims are devoid of any truth, and pointed out that its officials merely assisted police officials to put the boxes in safekeeping in a storage room.
“Another falsehood being circulated on different media is that ECN is planning to issue new voter registration cards. This is totally untrue.
“The exercise is only applicable to the issuance of duplicate voter cards to already-registered voters in the Keetmanshoop Rural constituency whose voter cards are lost, destroyed or for any reason illegal,” the statement read.
Popular Democratic Movement’s (PDM) Johannes Eiman, Swapo’s Elias Kharuxab, LPM’s Willem Petrus Labuschagne and Magdalena van Staden from the Independent Patriots for Change (IPM) will contest the polls.
Meanwhile, Witbooi will contest as an independent candidate.
[email protected]
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