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

The Electoral Commission of Namibia

The Mission takes note of the fact that in Namibia there is a body charged with a mandate to run elections. The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) plays an important role in coordinating all aspects of the electoral process.

The campaign process

Seven (7) political parties contested the Presidential election while nine (9) parties contested the National Assembly election. The campaign process for both sets of election took various forms including media outreach, posters, bill-board publicity, distribution of party political material and political rallies. EISA mission observed all these aspects of the campaign. On the whole the campaign process was free of political intolerance, political violence and intimidation. The mission, therefore, congratulates the people of Namibia, security forces and political parties for the peaceful atmosphere maintained throughout the election process.

Accreditation of observers

The participation of both international and domestic observers was facilitated by the smooth and efficient accreditation process put in place by the ECN. There were both international observer and domestic observer missions allowed to observe the election. We commend the ECN for the preparation of a very comprehensive and helpful information pack which was distributed to observers. The ECN electoral staff was fully apprised of the presence of these missions.

Registration of voters and the voter's roll

Registration of voters is an important, yet delicate, process in an election. Once voters have been registered, a voters' register is prepared and made public for both parties and voters to check its authenticity and accuracy. Computerisation of voters roll management is a positive development for Namibia. The Namibian Electoral Act stipulates the manner in which voter registration is to be undertaken and how and when the voters' roll is supposed to be made public for inspection by voters and parties. According to the Act, a complete voters' roll is to be gazetted and made public at least fourteen (14) working days before the election day. We noted concerns raised by political parties for not having received the voters roll on time.

The voting process

Despite some hitches including those concerning computers in some areas, voting during the Namibian Presidential and National Assembly elections proceeded smoothly over the two days namely the 15th and 16th November 2004. Some stakeholders raised concern about the security of the ballot boxes after polling due in part to the two-day voting and the fact that counting does not take place at the polling stations. Be that as it may, we also wish to note that each political party agent is allowed to put a seal with a unique number on the ballot box after polling. The same party agents then become part of the team that opens the same boxes after verifying the seals in the following morning before counting. Additionally, overall, the voting process was much more organised and orderly in respect of fixed polling stations most of which opened on time at 07h00 and closed at 21h00. We wish to note, though that in some cases a different pattern marked the voting process with respect to mobile teams. The mobile teams were either late opening or they failed to open in locations that the ECN had designated as polling stations.

The counting process

Counting took place in various counting centres around the country. The main problem experienced during counting was due to slow progress in this process due largely to the tendered ballots, a system through which voters registered in one constituency are allowed to cast their ballot in a different one provided they have the necessary documents and fill in the Elect 23 form. This led to a prolonged delay in the transmission of results from counting centres to the Central Election Results Centre (CERC). This in turn caused delays in the announcement of results thereby igniting anxiety and frustration on the part of the electorate. The Mission noted that in some polling stations, the proportion of the tendered ballot was quite high in comparison to the ordinary ballot.