Major reforms proposed for ECN
Election results announcement deadline mooted
Wide-ranging proposals aimed at ensuring operational efficiency and safeguarding electoral integrity have been laid on the table following a SADC pre-election assessment visit to Namibia.
The Electoral Commissions Forum of SADC (ECF-SADC) has proposed electoral reforms that include a timeline within which election results may be announced.
The reforms come after observers and voters over the years expressed concerns about the time it takes for the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) to announce the results after voting day, with many saying it creates room for conspiracies and claims of vote rigging.
During the 2014 and 2019 presidential and National Assembly elections, ECN announced the results three days after voting took place.
The proposal forms part of various recommendations contained in the forum’s debriefing report after it conducted a pre-election mission visit to Namibia last week.
The visit aimed to technically assess the preparedness of the ECN to hold credible elections and to ascertain the extent to which the forum’s 2019 recommendations have been considered.
Proposed changes
Among the recommendations listed in the debriefing report, the SADC electoral forum recommended “to advocate for electoral reforms that propose the timeline within which election results may be announced."
The forum also urged ECN to invest in the use of political party liaison committees as an alternative dispute resolution platform and that those committees must be used throughout the electoral cycle, not on the eve of elections.
“In view of the anticipated challenges associated with the influx of voters in certain constituencies on voting day, ECN may consider introducing application arrangements for voters who intend to vote in areas they do not reside in. This is for planning purposes,” the forum noted.
The forum also recommended that ECN make use of alternative media platforms for rural communities who may not have access to websites, as well as invest in strategies to deal with misinformation like deep fakes through the adoption of robust media monitoring strategies.
ECN, the forum said, must also work on concluding old cases on lost EVMs and laptops “as these may continue to affect the integrity and accountability by the ECN".
Innovative approaches praised
While the majority of the challenges highlighted by the ECN to the observer mission were related to a lack of information and guiding frameworks, the forum believes that the ECN is ready to conduct the presidential and national assembly elections in November.
"The Electoral Commission of Namibia appears to be ready to conduct the 2024 elections," the debriefing paper noted.
The forum lauded ECN for technological advancements, in particular the introduction of integrated election management systems and use of tablets during polling days, as positive developments.
Recruiting unemployed youth as polling staff was hailed as a "progressive initiative" and the provision of adequate funding to the ECN was praised as a factor that facilitates the ECN's preparedness.
The ECF-SADC also noted that the introduction of youth ambassadors by the ECN may have been a notable factor in the increased number of youth who registered to participate in the elections.
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The reforms come after observers and voters over the years expressed concerns about the time it takes for the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) to announce the results after voting day, with many saying it creates room for conspiracies and claims of vote rigging.
During the 2014 and 2019 presidential and National Assembly elections, ECN announced the results three days after voting took place.
The proposal forms part of various recommendations contained in the forum’s debriefing report after it conducted a pre-election mission visit to Namibia last week.
The visit aimed to technically assess the preparedness of the ECN to hold credible elections and to ascertain the extent to which the forum’s 2019 recommendations have been considered.
Proposed changes
Among the recommendations listed in the debriefing report, the SADC electoral forum recommended “to advocate for electoral reforms that propose the timeline within which election results may be announced."
The forum also urged ECN to invest in the use of political party liaison committees as an alternative dispute resolution platform and that those committees must be used throughout the electoral cycle, not on the eve of elections.
“In view of the anticipated challenges associated with the influx of voters in certain constituencies on voting day, ECN may consider introducing application arrangements for voters who intend to vote in areas they do not reside in. This is for planning purposes,” the forum noted.
The forum also recommended that ECN make use of alternative media platforms for rural communities who may not have access to websites, as well as invest in strategies to deal with misinformation like deep fakes through the adoption of robust media monitoring strategies.
ECN, the forum said, must also work on concluding old cases on lost EVMs and laptops “as these may continue to affect the integrity and accountability by the ECN".
Innovative approaches praised
While the majority of the challenges highlighted by the ECN to the observer mission were related to a lack of information and guiding frameworks, the forum believes that the ECN is ready to conduct the presidential and national assembly elections in November.
"The Electoral Commission of Namibia appears to be ready to conduct the 2024 elections," the debriefing paper noted.
The forum lauded ECN for technological advancements, in particular the introduction of integrated election management systems and use of tablets during polling days, as positive developments.
Recruiting unemployed youth as polling staff was hailed as a "progressive initiative" and the provision of adequate funding to the ECN was praised as a factor that facilitates the ECN's preparedness.
The ECF-SADC also noted that the introduction of youth ambassadors by the ECN may have been a notable factor in the increased number of youth who registered to participate in the elections.
- [email protected]
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