ECN deploys helicopters, boats to reach remote voting stations

The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) says it has deployed helicopters and boats to ferry ballot materials and polling teams into Namibia’s most remote and flood-prone areas, signalling the final stretch of preparations for tomorrow's regional council and local authority elections.The aircraft, provided by the defence ministry, are operating in parts of Kunene and Zambezi where road access is unreliable or impossible in some areas, ensuring that every registered voter will be able to cast a ballot on 26 November.Speaking at Election House in Windhoek on Saturday morning, the commission said it has completed every major logistical, legal and administrative requirement.It described the five-month electoral cycle, launched on 25 June, as entirely on course, with all deadlines met.The ECN emphasised that Namibia’s electoral framework requires regional and local authority elections every five years under the Constitution and the Electoral Act of 2014.These levels of government are responsible for daily services such as water, electricity, sanitation, housing, schooling, healthcare, transport and local economic activity.Wednesday’s vote therefore enables communities to select leaders who directly influence grassroots development.Stakeholder engagement has been ongoing since June, involving political parties, independent candidates, civil society organisations, faith-based groups, the media and government offices, ECN noted. These consultations intensified before the supplementary registration in August and continued into the final weeks before polling.Voter education has been rolled out countrywide through radio, television, billboards, social media and in-person outreach. The ECN urged partners to continue mobilising the public as election day approaches.High registration rateYesterday, the ECN released the final voters’ register, confirming 1 670 813 eligible voters and 1 499 449 registered voters, for a 90% registration rate. Women form nearly 54% of the roll, while youth aged 18 to 35 make up almost 43%.Persons with disabilities constitute 1.4% of registered voters.Nominations closed in mid-October. A total of 120 of 121 constituencies will be contested after Mankumpi in Kavango West received a single nomination.Ballot hiccups Ballot papers were printed in Johannesburg and delivered on 3 November. During verification, discrepancies were detected in ballot packs destined for several regions.The commission returned the affected packs to the supplier, Uniprint Global, which corrected and re-delivered them on 18 November at its own cost.Extra duplicate ballot books found during checks were sealed under the supervision of political party agents and will be destroyed after the election. Sensitive materials were dispatched to all regions between 9 and 19 November under police escort.The ECN has accredited four local observer groups, nine embassies, ten media houses and two freelance journalists.More than 21 000 polling officials – mostly unemployed youth – were trained between 7 and 15 November. Only those who scored above 60% in the assessments were selected.In addition, 120 constituency returning officers and 59 local authority returning officers have been appointed. Deployment of teams began on Sunday.On-the-ground logistics Transport capacity has been supplemented by 5 300 hired vehicles, as well as helicopters and boats for hard-to-reach areas.Duplicate voter cards have been issued since 17 November to voters who lost or damaged theirs. The process ended on Sunday.Special voting on Monday was reserved for polling officials and police officers who will be deployed outside their constituencies on election day.Verification of voters will rely on the integrated mobile voter registration system, which supports biometric and manual identification.Across the country, 2 894 polling teams will operate 4 861 polling stations. Polls open at 07:00 and close at 21:00, with counting conducted immediately in the presence of party agents and candidates.Results will be processed at 120 constituency collation centres and 59 local authority centres before being transmitted to the Central Election Results Centre in Windhoek.Preliminary and final results will be released through the ECN website and mobile app.The ECN said security measures are in place across the country. Two police officers will accompany each polling team.

ECN deploys helicopters, boats to reach remote voting stations

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Namibian Sun 2025-11-25

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ECN deploys helicopters, boats to reach remote voting stations

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Namibian Sun 2025-11-25

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