Staff Reporter
THE Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) on Thursday, 7 March 2024, launched the 2024 Electoral Calendar and Democracy Awareness Campaign, in which it also announced that the year 2024 marks the end of the life of the current national voter’s register, which will require all eligible Namibian citizens to register afresh to cast their votes in the forthcoming elections.
The Electoral Calendar is a comprehensive Roadmap that encompasses all electoral processes for this year. The Calendar outlines key milestones and activities to be carried out under each phase of the Electoral Cycle, namely the pre-election phase, election phase, and post-election phase.
“Looking ahead, some of the most crucial tasks that lie before us are the General Registration of Voters and the management of the actual polls. These significant events require efficient and effective planning, coordination and execution. It is during this time that we have the opportunity to empower our fellow citizens to exercise their democratic right and shape the future of our nation. The Electoral Calendar that we are launching today is a comprehensive Roadmap that encompasses all electoral processes for this year. The Calendar outlines key milestones and activities to be carried out under each phase of the Electoral Cycle, namely the pre-election phase, election phase, and post-election phase,” Dr. Elsie Nghikembua, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN), said at the launch.
Touching on the re-registration of voters, Dr. Nghikembua explained that 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. “The last GRV was conducted in 2014 when the Commission deployed a Biometric Voters Registration System for the first time. Equally, I wish to inform you that the GRV will be conducted both inside the country and at all Namibian Diplomatic Missions as required by law, and this process will be conducted under the current Electoral Act, No. 5 of 2014,” the chairperson said.
Furthermore, Dr. Nghikembua said that as part of the preparations for the 2024 General Registration of Voters, and Presidential & National Assembly Elections, the Commission undertook a comprehensive electoral review process after the 2019 & 2020 Presidential & National Assembly Elections and the Regional Council and Local Authority Elections, respectively.
She explained that this review resulted in, amongst others, the enhancement of the current Mobile Voter Registration System into the Integrated Mobile Voter Registration System (IMVRS).
“This is an “Integrated Solution,” interfacing the voters’ registration, voter identification and verification, registration of political parties and organisations/associations, nominations, and election results management modules. The Integrated Mobile Voter Registration System leverages on technology to make voter registration more responsive and efficient, marking a significant milestone in our efforts to modernise and improve our electoral processes. The system incorporates advanced security and verification measures to ensure the integrity of the electoral processes,” Dr. Nghikembua said.
