By: Josia Shigwedha

Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN)chairperson, Elsie Nghikembua, has announced that manual ballot papers will be used for the upcoming presidential and national assembly elections scheduled for November 27 this year, with regional and local authority elections following in 2025. Nghikembua stated that new voter registration will take place as all the voters’ cards issued in 2014 have expired.

“All eligible Namibian citizens will be expected to register afresh to cast their votes in the forthcoming elections. In terms of the Electoral Act, No. 5 of 2014, as amended, the Commission is required to conduct the GRV every 10 years and compile a new voters’ register,” said Nghikembua. 

She said the last general voters’ registration was conducted in 2014 when ECN deployed a Biometric Voters Registration System for the first time.

“If you do not register, you cannot vote in 2024. The cards that were issued in 2014, keep them as souvenirs. Please come and register, stated Nghikembua.  She was speaking during the launch of the ECN electoral calendar, general registration of voters (GRV), and Democracy Awareness Campaign, under the theme “Enhancing Electoral Democracy Through Electoral Processes”.

Officiating the launch, the minister of urban and rural development, Erastus Uutoni, stated that the campaign aims to raise awareness about the importance of all eligible citizens participating in the electoral process.

Uutoni shared the key dates of voter registration and general elections as stipulated in the Electoral Act and approved by the Head of State. 

According to Uutoni, the general registration of voters will take place between 03 June to 01 August while the nomination of candidates (independent candidates) is on 14 October.  He added that the political parties and public sitting registration is on 16 October. He said voting abroad, voting for sea-going personnel and members of the Armed Forces, is 13th of November. Uutoni announced that the election date is the 27th of November 2024.

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