Allexer Namundjembo
The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) has revived the review of the Electoral Amendment Bill as it moves to strengthen the country’s electoral framework ahead of the 2029 presidential and National Assembly elections and the 2030 regional and local authority polls.
Speaking at a stakeholder engagement at Election House in Windhoek, ECN chairperson Elsie Nghikembua said the post-election period following the 2025 Regional Council and Local Authority Council elections offers an opportunity to assess challenges and propose reforms.
“Today is the beginning of this very important post-election stakeholder consultation, with many more to come,” Nghikembua said.
ECN chief electoral and referenda officer Peter Shaama said the Electoral Act No. 5 of 2014 was reviewed between 2022 and 2023 through written submissions and stakeholder workshops.
The process produced a draft electoral amendment bill that was submitted to the minister of urban and rural development and later cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Legislation.
Consultations were paused during preparations for the 2024 and 2025 elections but have now resumed with lessons from the recent polls included in the review.
The ECN’s proposals cover voter registration, election management, political party regulation and the powers of the Electoral Court.
One of the key proposals seeks to strengthen the ECN’s independence from government structures.
The commission wants Section 4 of the Electoral Act amended to clearly state that the ECN “shall be independent and shall, in the performance of its functions, not be subject to the direction or control of any person or authority”.
The ECN said the current wording could be interpreted as placing the commission under the authority of the National Assembly.
The commission also wants references describing it as a government agency removed from the law. It further proposes removing the status of permanent secretary or executive director from the chief electoral and referenda officer position.
“To ensure total independence as envisaged in the Constitution, the ECN cannot remain an agency of government,” the ECN stated.
The ECN also proposed administrative changes aimed at improving efficiency.
These include changing the title “chief regional officer” to “regional electoral officer”, expanding powers for urgent round-robin decisions and extending the notice period for appointing commissioners from four to six months.
Other proposals include stricter residency requirements for voter registration, recognition of seasonal and migrant workers and allowing awaiting-trial prisoners to vote in all elections.
The ECN also wants provisions treating Namibia as a single constituency for national elections removed.
The commission described the current arrangement as a “logistical nightmare” that delays election results.
The proposed reforms also introduce a 24-hour campaign cut-off period before polling day and seek to improve secrecy during special voting by police, defence force and correctional service members.
Independent presidential candidates would be required to submit 500 supporter signatures per region, amounting to 7 000 signatures nationwide.
Verification periods for nominations would also increase from two to five days.
The ECN further proposes that candidates should not contest both regional council and local authority elections on the same day to avoid costly by-elections.
Financial oversight of political parties would shift to the auditor general, while new political parties would face a six-month registration cut-off before elections.
The proposals also seek to shorten the timeline for election challenges to 30 days after results are announced and expand criminal liability for polling officials to include negligence.
The ECN has invited stakeholders to submit written proposals on amendments, reasons for the changes and suggested revisions to specific sections of the law.
The deadline for submissions is 30 June 2026.
Nghikembua said engagement with political parties, the media and the public remains important for transparency and public trust.
“These amendments, if adopted, would represent one of the most comprehensive overhauls of Namibia’s electoral framework since the enactment of the Electoral Act in 2014,” the ECN stated.
The commission said consultations will continue through the pre-election, election and post-election phases as part of efforts to strengthen electoral democracy.
