EDITORIAL: Electoral court ruling does not solve ECN's problems

The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) may have emerged victorious in the legal battle against the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) and the Landless People’s Movement (LPM), but let’s not mistake this ruling for a clean bill of health on how it conducted last year’s general election.

For an election to truly reflect the will of the people, it must not only be free of outright rigging but also free from the subtle biases of those entrusted to oversee it. The controversial extension of voting days and the scandal of polling stations running out of ballot papers may have passed the court test, but can they pass the fairness test? Smaller parties cried foul, blindsided by the extension and grappling with logistical nightmares, including the sudden need to deploy observers to far-flung polling stations.

Then there was the sight that stuck in the national craw: Swapo, armed with its own fleet of transport, swiftly ferrying supporters from the Kavango regions to Oshakati to capitalise on the extended voting days. Was it legal? Certainly. But was it fair to competitors without fleets of buses and deep pockets? Hardly. Democracy must not be a relay race where one runner gets a head start while others scramble barefoot.

If the ECN is tempted to thump its chest in victory, we urge it to resist. There is no glory in winning a battle but losing the public’s faith. Namibians yearn for an electoral commission that jealously guards their democratic choices - transparently, constitutionally, and above all, fairly. A true custodian of democracy does not rest easy on legal victories; it strives for moral ones.