Scores turned away amid special voting chaos

Some members of the security cluster and seagoing personnel who turned up for special voting across the country yesterday were turned away because their employers had allegedly failed to submit their names to the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) to indicate that they would be on duty on 27 November.This was confirmed by several regional electoral officers, including Amon-Oiva Haimbangu of Oshana, who confirmed that many seagoing personnel were turned away due to lack of proper documentation.At the Ohangwena Police Station polling site, presiding officer Frans Ndafonghoshi shared a similar experience, noting that some police officers were not allowed to cast their vote because their names had not been submitted for special voting.The special voting for the 2024 presidential and National Assembly elections was intended only for members of the security cluster, seagoing personnel who will be on duty on 27 November, as well as Namibians abroad.Haimbangu said some employers failed to submit the list of those expected to vote during the special election and to confirm that these officials would be on duty on 27 November.“We have only received three lists from seagoing personnel companies, while some companies are still sending their lists,” he said yesterday afternoon.Voting was scheduled for only one day.Smoother operations By lunchtime yesterday, over 400 people from the security cluster and seagoing personnel had cast their votes at the only two polling stations in Oshana – the Oshakati Police Station and the Ondangwa Urban Oluno Community Hall.At around 12:00, nearly 200 had cast their votes at the Omuthiya Police station in Oshikoto Region.Ndafonghoshi said among the few challenges experienced "was a tablet that was constantly restarting, but now we have a spare tablet and that one is sorted out.”Presiding officer Immanuel Kalla at the Oluno Community Hall polling station, Eenhana Police Station polling station presiding officer Frieda Nakanyala and Omuthiya Police Station presiding officer Alina Veiko, all said the process went smoothly, with no challenges experienced.Chaos in KhomasIn the Khomas Region, major issues were reportedly experienced, with the situation turning chaotic in Windhoek at the Van Rhyn Primary School polling station, the only one in the entire region, where a large number of voters turned up.The Affirmative Reposition (AR) political party issued a statement condemning the ECN for failing to ensure that adequate polling stations were established to ease the pressure.“The ECN’s failure to properly plan for the voting process has once again shown disorganisation and ineffectiveness,” the AR statement reads. “It is disheartening to witness an institution, entrusted with such an important task, fail to ensure a smooth, fair and efficient election process for the people of Namibia,” AR added.ECN spokesperson De Wet Siluka told Namibian Sun that the number of polling stations is determined by the number of special voters expected to show up, as confirmed by their employers.This was before ECN chairperson Elsie Nghikembua, during a press briefing in Windhoek late yesterday, conceded that more voters had turned up than the ECN had anticipated.“While we celebrate this strong turnout, we recognise that the large numbers in some locations exceeded the initial number of expected voters,” Nghikembua said.“I want to assure the nation that the ECN anticipated the possibility of such scenarios and has proactively put contingency measures in place,” she added. “In areas where the number of voters exceeded initial expectations, we swiftly redeployed additional materials and resources from nearby polling stations to ensure that every eligible voter has the opportunity to cast their vote without unnecessary delay.”Early resultsMeanwhile, results from polling stations for Namibians voting in Japan, China and Malaysia were posted late yesterday, with Swapo and its presidential candidate, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, in the lead.The closest contest was in Malaysia, where the ruling party received 10 votes, while opposition parties received nine, out of 19 parliamentary votes.In China, where 38 people voted, Nandi-Ndaitwah received 25 votes, while Panduleni Itula of the Independent Patriots for Change got six, followed by AR’s Job Amupanda with four votes.In Japan, all 10 voters backed Nandi-Ndaitwah for president. For parliament, seven voted for Swapo, while three voted for Affirmative Repositioning.kenya@nmh-hub.com.natuyeimo@nmh-hub.com.na#NamibiaDecides2024

Scores turned away amid special voting chaos

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-15

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Scores turned away amid special voting chaos

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-15

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