interim statement
EISA Observer Mission 2004 Namibia Presidential and National Assembly elections (continued)

Mission composition

The EISA Election Observer Mission is composed of 30 members drawn from electoral commissions, civil society organisations, the media institutions, office of the ombudsman and political parties from various SADC member-states namely, Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The Mission Leader is Dr. Gloria Somolekae, Chairperson of the Botswana National Vision 2016 Council, National Representative of the Kellogg Foundation Programme in Botswana and EISA Board Member. The Executive Director of EISA, Mr. Denis Kadima is the Deputy Leader of the Mission.

Members of the EISA Mission started arriving in Windhoek on Monday the 08th November 2004. The mission met various Namibian election stakeholders and observed events until Thursday the 18th November 2004.

Deployment

A total of nine EISA teams were deployed in the different parts of Namibia on Friday the 12th November 2004 as follows:

  1. Three teams in Windhoek
  2. One team in Walvis Bay
  3. One team in Katima Mulilo
  4. One team in Oshakati
  5. One team in Keetmanshoop
  6. One team in Grootfontein and
  7. One team in Gobabis.

The Mission was able to visit 161 out of a total of 1 168 polling stations. The teams covered selected rural and urban areas in the constituencies where they were deployed.

Method of work

In order to accommodate the need for a holistic approach to election assessment, EISA conducted various activities covering the pre-election, the polling and the post-election phases. The assessment methodology includes the following activities:

Research and publication

Election Update: As part of its pre-election assessment, EISA engaged a Namibian researcher to gather relevant information and produce Election Update 2004: Namibia. Three volumes of the update covering the three phases of the election namely pre-election phase, polling phase and the post-election phase are planned to be published. By the time of the election, one issue had been produced covering the following aspects of the election:

  1. The political setting
  2. Political parties and Manifestos
  3. The Presidential and National Assembly elections
  4. Regional Council elections
  5. Civil society participation
  6. Conflict prevention and management mechanisms.

The second and third issues of the Election Update 2004: Namibia will cover both the election phase and post-election developments in the country. EISA uses its innovative method of information gathering and sharing to keep members of the Mission and other stakeholders up to date with the electoral process as it evolved in the run up to election day.

Election Talk: Additionally, another group of Namibia-based researchers was engaged to gather information which was in turn put together and published in a monthly bulletin - Election Talk - which is widely distributed both electronically and in print. The Election Talk has covered various facets of Namibia's electoral processes since January 2004.

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