Presidential debates ‘may spark voting appetite’

Presidential debates are, according to Professor Johan Coetzee of the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), a solution to voter apathy in Namibia.He said this during a panel discussion in the run-up to the end of voter registration for the presidential and National Assembly elections in November. "Reluctance to participate in debates is a symptom of the voter apathy problem. We have to host presidential debates and we have to wonder what candidates are afraid of if they are not willing to participate," he said. Last week, Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) secretary Ephraim Nekongo said the ruling party will never participate in presidential debates.He said Swapo has its own platforms through which to spread its policies and development ideas to the voting masses.Youth under-representedCoetzee also chastised the youth for their reluctance to participate in the upcoming elections. "Only 8% of youth are represented in parliament - why do you allow them to get away with it at every election?"Despite his reluctance to strengthen government policy on the matter, he believes intervention by the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) to set a deadline for the various political parties&#039; manifestos may help voters make an informed choice at the polls. Amid global trends that young people do not participate in elections, he believes this group in particular must identify problems in their communities and list them in order of priority. After that, they must take the initiative to approach politicians to explain to them how they intend to address these issues at the local level, he said. "You don&#039;t have to wait for them, let them tell you what they&#039;re going to do.”Lack of voter educationNatalie Russman, a representative of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, said they noticed good morale among voters, but pointed out that there is still a lack of voter education. She explained that young voters are hesitant to vote because they don&#039;t know who to vote for. Meanwhile, Namibia Institute for Democracy spokesperson Ginola Nauseb said many voters believe that nothing will change if they vote. He explained that voters feel that their votes should put bread and butter on the table.According to Kristine Shetunyenga from Social Enabled Education Namibia, this view is fuelled by voters&#039; desperation. "The reason so many people see this as a deal is because they are desperate. We have more than 80 000 people who are in critical need of food," she said. Shetunyenga also warned young voters to be realistic to avoid being led astray by politicians. Finelda Khuruses, a voter education officer for the ECN in the Khomas Region, said the electoral commission cannot yet disclose any data on voter registration, as this process will continue until 1 August. - irene-mari@nmh-hub.com.na

Presidential debates ‘may spark voting appetite’

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Namibian Sun 2025-11-07

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Presidential debates ‘may spark voting appetite’

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Namibian Sun 2025-11-07

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