Swapo member raises alarm over voting issues at party's Tsumeb congress
Regional coordinator says complaint will be investigated
Shalipo Ya Shalipo has alleged that the presiding officer allowed spoiled ballots to be counted, directly violating the voting rules outlined at the start of the process.
Swapo member Shalipo ya Shalipo, who was an observer at the party's extraordinary congress in Tsumeb on 25 June, has alleged that unvetted candidates were allowed onto the ballot.
In a letter dated 26 June that was submitted to the Swapo Party's Oshikoto regional coordinator Armas Amukwiyu, Ya Shalipo also claimed that the presiding officer allowed spoiled ballots to be counted.
Amukwiyu confirmed yesterday that his office had received the letter and said the regional executive committee would look into the matter.
Commendable steps
Ya Shalipo further alleged that during the vetting process of both regional and local authority candidates, Amukwiyu announced that several comrades did not meet the minimum requirements, with some failing to submit necessary documents and others falling short of the required standards.
"This was a critical and commendable step to ensure transparency. However, it raises concerns about how and why these comrades' names ended up on the list of candidates in the first place, given that such gaps existed before the vetting," Ya Shalipo noted.
He added that the presiding officer announced that there was only one ballot paper with seven candidates, four men and three women, and that each delegate was to vote for one man and two women.
Ballots with more or fewer than three selections would reportedly be considered spoiled.
The men included Mathew Hangula, Linekela Shetekela, Oscar Norich and Obed Kuhanga, while the women were Talishi Haihambo, Ella Nghifindaka and Mina Enkono.
Procedural error
Ya Shalipo said one of the first delegates to cast her vote openly declared that she had only voted for two candidates.
"This was a procedural error, yet the presiding officer paused the voting and asked the entire hall for permission to open the ballot and allow the delegate to correct it, which was done," he claimed.
Despite the presiding officer reportedly reiterating multiple times that only ballots with exactly three votes would be valid, several spoiled ballots were later found during the counting, some with only one vote and not the required three, as per the given rule, Ya Shalipo claimed.
"To my concern, the presiding officer allowed these spoiled ballots to be counted, even though they clearly violated the very voting rule he had outlined himself at the start of the process."
Contradicting principles
Ya Shalipo said these actions contradict the principles of fairness, discipline and internal democracy enshrined in the Swapo constitution.
"As a movement founded on revolutionary ethics, we must ensure that every internal process reflects integrity and consistency," he said.
"I respectfully request that these irregularities be officially reviewed [and] future election presiding officers be thoroughly trained or guided to adhere strictly to established voting procedures. Ballot rules be clearly enforced to preserve the integrity of the process," he noted.
Ya Shalipo said his feedback was submitted in good faith and with full loyalty to the party, and he hoped to see the structures strengthened, not weakened, through more transparent and accountable processes.
Ya Shalipo recommended that future processes apply the vetting well before the nomination stage to avoid confusion or perceived bias during the actual election proceedings.
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In a letter dated 26 June that was submitted to the Swapo Party's Oshikoto regional coordinator Armas Amukwiyu, Ya Shalipo also claimed that the presiding officer allowed spoiled ballots to be counted.
Amukwiyu confirmed yesterday that his office had received the letter and said the regional executive committee would look into the matter.
Commendable steps
Ya Shalipo further alleged that during the vetting process of both regional and local authority candidates, Amukwiyu announced that several comrades did not meet the minimum requirements, with some failing to submit necessary documents and others falling short of the required standards.
"This was a critical and commendable step to ensure transparency. However, it raises concerns about how and why these comrades' names ended up on the list of candidates in the first place, given that such gaps existed before the vetting," Ya Shalipo noted.
He added that the presiding officer announced that there was only one ballot paper with seven candidates, four men and three women, and that each delegate was to vote for one man and two women.
Ballots with more or fewer than three selections would reportedly be considered spoiled.
The men included Mathew Hangula, Linekela Shetekela, Oscar Norich and Obed Kuhanga, while the women were Talishi Haihambo, Ella Nghifindaka and Mina Enkono.
Procedural error
Ya Shalipo said one of the first delegates to cast her vote openly declared that she had only voted for two candidates.
"This was a procedural error, yet the presiding officer paused the voting and asked the entire hall for permission to open the ballot and allow the delegate to correct it, which was done," he claimed.
Despite the presiding officer reportedly reiterating multiple times that only ballots with exactly three votes would be valid, several spoiled ballots were later found during the counting, some with only one vote and not the required three, as per the given rule, Ya Shalipo claimed.
"To my concern, the presiding officer allowed these spoiled ballots to be counted, even though they clearly violated the very voting rule he had outlined himself at the start of the process."
Contradicting principles
Ya Shalipo said these actions contradict the principles of fairness, discipline and internal democracy enshrined in the Swapo constitution.
"As a movement founded on revolutionary ethics, we must ensure that every internal process reflects integrity and consistency," he said.
"I respectfully request that these irregularities be officially reviewed [and] future election presiding officers be thoroughly trained or guided to adhere strictly to established voting procedures. Ballot rules be clearly enforced to preserve the integrity of the process," he noted.
Ya Shalipo said his feedback was submitted in good faith and with full loyalty to the party, and he hoped to see the structures strengthened, not weakened, through more transparent and accountable processes.
Ya Shalipo recommended that future processes apply the vetting well before the nomination stage to avoid confusion or perceived bias during the actual election proceedings.
[email protected]
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