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

Composition of the election staff

The Mission was pleased and impressed by the composition of the election staff at polling stations visited. It was observed that there were a large proportion of women as both support staff and presiding officers. We commend the ECN for promoting gender equity in the management of elections.

Areas for improvement and recommendations

The mission therefore recommends the following:

Voter's roll

For purposes of improving the management of the voters' roll and allowing broader stakeholder participation in this, it is imperative that the ECN strives to ensure that the roll is made publicly accessible in good time in conformity to the Electoral Act.

Access to media

PEMMO proposes that access to public media during an election period should be equitable and equal to the benefit of all contesting parties and candidates. We found that political parties' access to the public media (both print and electronic) during elections tended to be skewed more in favour of the incumbent party and this situation inevitably raised concerns from other electoral stakeholders. In line with PEMMO guidelines, it proposed that Namibia abides by these principles to ensure that all parties enjoy equitable access to the public media.

Funding of political parties

Elections are a fairly expensive political activity and thus claim a considerable chunk of the national budget and meagre resources of political parties. It is for this reason that in a number of SADC countries, public funding of political parties has been legislated with a view to nurturing and sustaining multiparty democracy. Namibia is one of the countries that provides public finding for political parties. All political parties represented in the National Assembly receive state funding proportional to the number of votes they received during the most recent National Assembly election and the corresponding parliamentary seats secured. Although, the funding of parties is useful for strengthening parties as key institutions of democracy, various issues need to be addressed in order to improve this mechanism:

• Remain engaged with the formula for public funding and
• institutionalise accountability mechanisms so that parties report accurately on their finances to the ECN.

The Electoral system: Inclusivity and representation of women

In respect of the Presidential and National Assembly elections, Namibia operates two types of electoral systems in tandem namely the Majoritarian system and the party list-Proportional Representation (PR) system. The former applies to the election of the President, while the latter applies to the election of the National Assembly. Both have, on the whole, served the country's democracy well in terms of representation and inclusivity. In particular, the PR model has facilitated more gender inclusivity in the National Assembly. In the last parliament representation of women in Namibia's National Assembly stands at 26.4%. This is a good record for the country to achieve 30% of women's representation by the year 2005 as per the SADC Declaration on Gender and Development adopted by the Heads of State and Government during the SADC annual Summit in Blantyre, Malawi. It is recommended that Namibia maintains and sustains its good record on gender representation in the National Assembly. In keeping with PEMMO, we encourage stakeholders to ensure that at least 30% of the candidates are women at all levels of governance and within political parties.

Counting

In order to address the prolonged delays in counting and announcement of results, the ECN should audit and review mechanisms and procedures governing the tendered ballot. For purposes of addressing concerns around security of the ballot, Namibia ought to consider reforming its counting procedures. This could be done by introducing changes which allow counting at polling stations immediately after the completion of voting rather than transporting the ballot boxes to the central counting stations.

Conclusion

We note as we conclude today that ballot counting and announcement of results have not been completed. On the basis of the Mission's observation of the campaign and voting and basing itself on the guidelines enshrined in the PEMMO, the EISA Election Observer Mission concludes that the 2004 Namibian Presidential and National Assembly electoral process was free and fair with room for further improvement.

Dr. Gloria Somolekae, Mission Leader
Mr. Denis Kadima, Deputy Mission Leader