Staff Reporter
PREPARATIONS for the upcoming Guinas Constituency by-election, scheduled to take place on the 17th of January, are well on track, said the ECN’s Chief Electoral and Referenda Officer, Peter Shaama, in a statement on Friday.
The Guinas by-election was necessitated by the death of Councillor Elias Marthinu on 21 October last year.
Shaama stated that the execution of build-up activities for the by-election is at an advanced stage. These activities include voter education campaigns, candidate nominations, logistical arrangements, the printing of ballot papers, recruitment and training of polling officials, and the issuance of duplicate voter cards.
He noted that the Commission has rolled out voter education initiatives to inform and educate voters in the constituency about the electoral process, the importance of participating in the election, and the candidates contesting the Guinas Constituency by-election. These initiatives use various communication platforms, including face-to-face meetings conducted by ECN voter education officers.
Shaama added that candidate nominations for registered political parties occurred from 6 to 21 December, while prospective independent candidates were required to submit their nominations before 19 December. At the close of the public sitting on 21 December, two nominations were received: one from the Landless People’s Movement (LPM) and another from the SWAPO Party. These are the only political parties contesting the by-election.
Five fixed and fifteen mobile polling stations have been established, served by four mobile and five fixed teams.
“In addition, the Commission will deploy all the necessary materials and equipment as outlined in the Electoral Schedule,” said Shaama. He further revealed that the printing of ballot papers commenced on Friday after the verification and signing-off of the sample ballot paper by authorized representatives of the contesting political parties on the 8th of January. Solitaire Press was awarded the bid for the design, printing, and delivery of 4,600 ballot papers at the cost of N$332,793.90.
The constituency has 4,178 registered voters.
The ECN will train fifty polling officials from 11 to 15 January to be deployed at various polling stations. Training for police officers and political party agents has already taken place, from 9 to 10 January.
Registered voters in the Guinas Constituency whose cards are lost, destroyed, or unreadable are entitled to apply for duplicate voter cards from 14 to 16 January.
“The Commission wishes to encourage registered voters to exercise their democratic rights during this by-election by electing a leader of their choice. The Commission equally reiterates its commitment to upholding the integrity of this electoral process,” said Shaama.
