Registration numbers increased
The supplementary registration of voters for the upcoming regional and local authority elections kicked off last week and ended last night.
JEMIMA BEUKES
WINDHOEK
The registration of voters for the upcoming elections have significantly picked up, particularly in the urban centres, over the last 48 hours, peaking at an average of 600 people per centre.
This was confirmed by Lina Ndengu, the communications manager of the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN), who said registration points operated until midnight since Monday evening.
The supplementary registration of voters for the upcoming regional and local authority elections kicked off last week and ended last night.
A total of 96 247 eligible voters were registered between 7 September and 12 September and a quarter of this figure, about 34 270 were first-time voters.
Political opposition leaders this week criticised this poor turnout as “much too slow”.
According to Ndengu, the ECN secretariat met this week to discuss the pace of the registration and to see where intervention was needed, adding that mobile teams have been augmented to accelerate the process.
“We are constantly in touch with the different coordinators in the different regions just to try and see where we can really try and ease the process. We have noticed more and people queuing up because it is the last day.
“Numbers were relatively low but they are picking up. You would find that yesterday the numbers really went up significantly. When it started off it was about a 100 people per day but yesterday (Monday) you find some venues had about 700 people registered,” she said.
Ndengu added that these increases were mainly registered in urban centres in the Khomas, Kunene and Erongo.
ECN chief electoral officer (CEO) Theo Mujoro this week said comprehensive numbers of the number of registered voters would be announced later this week.
The next supplementary registration process will take place in 2024.
WINDHOEK
The registration of voters for the upcoming elections have significantly picked up, particularly in the urban centres, over the last 48 hours, peaking at an average of 600 people per centre.
This was confirmed by Lina Ndengu, the communications manager of the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN), who said registration points operated until midnight since Monday evening.
The supplementary registration of voters for the upcoming regional and local authority elections kicked off last week and ended last night.
A total of 96 247 eligible voters were registered between 7 September and 12 September and a quarter of this figure, about 34 270 were first-time voters.
Political opposition leaders this week criticised this poor turnout as “much too slow”.
According to Ndengu, the ECN secretariat met this week to discuss the pace of the registration and to see where intervention was needed, adding that mobile teams have been augmented to accelerate the process.
“We are constantly in touch with the different coordinators in the different regions just to try and see where we can really try and ease the process. We have noticed more and people queuing up because it is the last day.
“Numbers were relatively low but they are picking up. You would find that yesterday the numbers really went up significantly. When it started off it was about a 100 people per day but yesterday (Monday) you find some venues had about 700 people registered,” she said.
Ndengu added that these increases were mainly registered in urban centres in the Khomas, Kunene and Erongo.
ECN chief electoral officer (CEO) Theo Mujoro this week said comprehensive numbers of the number of registered voters would be announced later this week.
The next supplementary registration process will take place in 2024.
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