About 8 000 essential service workers and Namibians abroad will vote tomorrow, the Electoral Comission of Namibia (ECN) says.
Addressing the media yesterday, ECN chairperson Elsie Nghikembua said all is set for the early voting programme.
These voters include police officers, correctional service and defence force members, as well as seagoing personnel and voters abroad.
They will be able to vote at 33 polling stations in the country and at all 35 diplomatic missions abroad.
“There could be slight variations to this figure, because Namibians who registered inside the country but find themselves outside the country on the special voting day will be allowed to vote, provided that such citizens will still be outside the country, and, therefore, unable to vote inside the country on 27 November,” she said.
“Based on the information provided by the security cluster and fishing institutions, an estimated 8 000 voters are expected to cast their votes on 13 November,” Nghikembua said.
She said a total of 2 159 eligible voters registered at Namibia’s foreign missions.
The ECN has deployed 307 polling officials for this exercise.
“ . . . 231 locally and 76 abroad, and requisite election materials to manage the voting and counting process on 13 November,” Nghikembua said.
Voters will have access to these results after counting at the respective polling stations.
“The presiding officer for each polling station will complete the prescribed election results form, which must be certified by counting agents, and announce and paste the election results at the polling station as required by the Electoral Act,” the chairperson said.
The overall results of special voting will be kept safe with all election materials used until election day.
There will be no observers, Nghikembua said.
“We did not receive any applications for this day – only for 27 November,” she said.
ECN head of operations Zenia Klazen yesterday said 8 800 ballot papers have been set aside and distributed to polling stations abroad and in Namibia.
Chief electoral and referenda officer Peter Shaama says the officials at the polls will comprise Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation staff.
The entire process is facilitated by another official from the international relations ministry, he says.
“Similarly, the law also requires that all diplomatic missions be coordinated by one returning officer, and that returning officer is also from the ministry and is located here at our offices to coordinate the activities happening at all 35 diplomatic missions,” Shaama says.
DUPLICATE CARDS
Registered voters who have lost their voter’s cards or whose cards have been damaged can obtain duplicates countrywide from next week.
The ECN will be issuing duplicate voter’s cards from 18 to 26 November.
“The application for a duplicate voter card requires a police declaration stating the circumstances under which you are applying for a duplicate, as well as proof of the voter’s identity,” Nghikembua said.
These will be issued to those who have registered for this year’s elections.
The ECN can only provide duplicate cards to voters in Namibia, while those who need them abroad will not have the same access.
Nghikembua said the ECN will continue with the distribution of ballot papers and other materials in preparation for 27 November.
“Distribution and dispatch of sensitive and non-sensitive election materials: this process commenced today [yesterday], following the conclusion of the distribution and dispatch of election materials for voting abroad and special voting in the country on 13 November,” she said.
To further prepare, the commission has recruited 17 684 polling officials, whose training begins on Friday.
“These officials include presiding officers, polling officers, information technology officials, collation centre results verifiers and logistics officers,” she said.
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