Voter disorientation blamed on poor education

Poor voter education by the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) and participating political parties is being blamed for the fact that many people did not know the difference between last year’s general elections and this past Friday’s regional and local authority polls. Many people had to be turned away on Friday, because they turned up to vote in constituencies other than where they were registered. The presiding officer at polling station 113 at the Omhedi Palace in the Ohangwena Constituency, Martin Hasheela, said a number of people were turned away because they were not registered voters in that constituency. “They said they voted here last year, but those were different elections,” he said. He said those who are registered voters in neighbouring constituencies, such as Oshikango and Engela, were directed to the nearest polling stations in their respective constituencies, but there was one voter from the Okaku Constituency, where no elections were taking place, and he desperately wanted to vote. The presiding officer at polling station 106 at the Oshimwaku Combined School in the Engela Constituency, Michael Mwinga, said some of the people they turned away included those registered in the Walvis Bay Urban Constituency, as well as those who were supposed to vote in Okongo in Ohangwena, Oshakati East in Oshana and Moses //Garoeb in Khomas. “It was still early and those from Okongo and Oshakati East could still make it back to their respective constituencies and vote. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of those from Erongo and Khomas,” Mwinga said. Meanwhile, police spokesman Sergeant Kaume Itumba said no serious election-related incident was reported in Ohangwena Region. OSHAKATI PLACIDO HILUKILWA