Zorena Jantze
THE Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) has announced plans to become a fully independent body in a bid to achieve self-reliance and eliminate undue influence from political parties and other institutions.
The body that runs Namibia’s elections is currently the only commission of its kind in all of SADC that is fully funded by government, with the executive and members of parliament approving the organisation’s budget.
In a statement issued today, the ECN’s chairperson, Adv. Notemba Tjipueja, stated that the current setup is not practical.
“The present reality is that the independence of the Electoral Commission expressed in the Namibian constitution and reinforced in the Electoral Act is not given practical effect and meaning, when looking at the current institutional arrangements and working relations between the ECN and state institutions,” she said.
She further emphasised that the extent to which electoral management bodies can operate independently of political pressures and external interference is an important driver in public perceptions of electoral integrity.
In order to achieve its independence, Tjipueja said that the ECN has commissioned the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) to provide technical assistance and resources to conduct an international study in order to provide a report that would assist the ECN.
The Namibian constitution establishes the ECN as a constitutional body exclusively mandated to direct, supervise, manage, control and conduct the country’s elections.
In other words, it provides for the elevation of the ECN as a constitutional body and recognises its institutional independence.
Tjipueja, however, noted that this independence provided for in the constitution must not only be viewed as theoretical, but should be operationalised in all spheres of the ECN.
The chairperson of the ECN further added that the commission will engage President Hage Geingob, as well as other relevant ministries and bodies on this process.
Tjipueja added that operational realities ought to be addressed to realise such independence.
