LPM files for party status

THE Landless People’s Movement has filed an application with the Electoral Commission of Namibia to be registered as a political party.

The LPM has been operating as a pressure group since its founder and leader Bernadus Swartbooi was fired as deputy minister of land reform in 2016.

The movement mainly advocates the restitution of ancestral land, and wants a just land reform programme.

The LPM’s national events and logistics coordinator, Ivan Skrywer, said on Thursday the movement was ready to be registered as a political party, and has met all requirements for registration as one. He described the moment on Thursday as a historic one, adding that once registered, the party aimed to get over 10 seats in parliament after next year’s national elections.

Skrywer added that although there were talks of forming a coalition with other opposition parties, such a coalition will not be concluded soon as little progress has been made in discussions. He said “in my personal capacity, I believe the LPM must first test the water as an independent party to determine our support base before joining others in a coalition”.

“The political environment in Namibia will never be the same again because we believe the LPM is here for change. Our membership is now over the required 3 500 members to register a political party. We are represented in about eight regions, and the LPM is for everyone, and is the answer to socio-economic challenges in the country,” he stated.

ECN chief electoral officer Theo Mujoro last week said the commission will assess the application, and the outcome will be announced within a month.

The application will be subject to public objection, as required by the electoral law.

“The consideration of an application for political party (status) is not a one-day process. It takes time. We need to look at all the required documents that are outlined as per the provisions of the Electoral Act to make sure that the constitution of the proposed party is in conformity with the Namibian Constitution,” he explained.

Mujoro added that issues such as logos and party colours would also be assessed to make sure that they did not resemble clashes with those of other existing parties.

“We will also verify the proposed party’s membership with the registered voters by taking their voters’ registration numbers to make sure that they are authentic,” he said.