NEFF case could ‘impact’ ballot tender

The Electoral Commissions Forum of SADC (ECF-SADC) has expressed concern over the dark cloud hanging over the deregistration of the Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF), warning that the situation could impede key electoral processes.One such process is the design and printing of ballot papers for the 2024 presidential and National Assembly elections.The international bidding process to print the ballot papers for the 1 451 444 registered voters is currently ongoing, with the deadline for bid submissions set for 9 October.“Litigation processes on the deregistration of a political party and its potential impact on some key electoral processes, such as the printing of ballot papers...”, the forum said in its debriefing report after it conducted a pre-election visit to Namibia last month.The visit was aimed at conducting a technical assessment of the preparedness of the ECN to hold credible elections and to ascertain the extent to which the forum’s 2019 recommendations have been considered.Judgment Last month, High Court judge Thomas Masuku ruled that the ECN’s decision to deregister NEFF in June was unlawful and that the commission acted irrationally and in violation of established legal principles.ECN’s electoral calendar indicates that the printing of ballot papers should be finalised by 2 November. But with ECN yet to pronounce itself on whether it will challenge Masuku’s judgment in the Supreme Court, it is still not clear whether NEFF will be on the ballot or not.Should the ECN decide to approach the country’s apex court for recourse, NEFF’s status as a deregistered party will remain intact.This poses the risk of the ECN printing ballot papers without NEFF; however, if the appeal does not go in the commission’s favour, those ballots would have to be reprinted, or the ECN would need to make special arrangements to accommodate the red berets on the ballot paper.Key deadlines loomNEFF, however, is not impressed with the ECN’s dilly-dallying on the matter, especially with key deadlines looming.Authorised political parties and candidate representatives will conduct verifications and sign-off samples of ballot papers from 21 October to 22 October.With its two lawmakers chucked out of the National Assembly when the party was deregistered, the party claims “this delay is not merely bureaucratic, it is a calculated act that has denied its leadership the right to serve in Parliament and hinders their ability to campaign effectively.”NEFF’s second-in-command Longinus Iipumbu said the current situation has placed the party in a catch-22 situation because they do not have funds to launch their manifesto as well as to run their electoral campaign.“Despite a recent watershed High Court ruling that deemed the deregistration of the NEFF as unfair, the ECN has yet to execute this judgment. Instead, we have witnessed a deliberate delay intended to short-change and undermine NEFF mobilisation efforts ahead of these critical polls,” he said.

NEFF case could ‘impact’ ballot tender

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-09

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NEFF case could ‘impact’ ballot tender

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-09

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