Man arrested for casting ‘wrong’ vote

A 39-year-old man was arrested this past Friday for allegedly casting the wrong vote on behalf of someone else at the Okamatapati polling station during the regional and local authority elections, by voting for Nudo instead of Swapo. Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) Otjozondjupa Regional Coordinator, Faith Matladi, confirmed the incident a day later. Matladi said the complainant opened a case against the suspect, whom he had asked for assistance to cast his vote for Swapo. The suspect allegedly instead voted for Nudo. The complainant and the suspect apparently know each other and when they were at the regional council voting booth, the complainant asked the suspect to assist him to vote for the ruling party. The suspect allegedly pressed the button alongside the Nudo candidate and cast the vote. Matladi said the complainant then immediately alerted both the ECN officials and members of the police, who were working at the Okamatapati polling station. Okamatapati is situated nearly 100km east of Okakarara in the Okakarara Constituency of the Otjozondjupa Region. Otjozondjupa police chief for operations, Chief Inspector Levi Richter, said yesterday that the suspect had been arrested and was charged with contravening the Electoral Act. The Act prohibits the use of violence or force to compel or induce another person to vote or to refrain from voting in any election. It also prohibits compelling someone to vote or refrain from voting in any election or to vote in favour of a particular party or candidate by way of any fraudulent devices or contrivance. Richter said if the accused is found guilty of an offence, he will on conviction be liable to pay a fine not exceeding N$20 000 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years - or both. He said the case was opened by the complainant himself against the 39-year-old male suspect at the Okamatapati police station. The suspect is expected to appear in the Okakarara Magistrate’s Court today. Police investigations into the matter continue. NAMPA