Allexer Namundjembo
The head of Fact Check Namibia, an initiative that aims to verify public statements and media reports, Frederick Links, said misinformation and propaganda confuse things.
Links said this in an interview with the Windhoek Observer earlier this month.
According to him, misinformation, especially during election periods, undermines people’s rational decision-making capabilities.
“If what people see and consume informationally is actually false, misleading, or inaccurate information, that undermines how people can make rational decisions,” he said.
He cautioned that voters may completely lose faith in the electoral process if they receive a barrage of false information, which could result in low voter turnout and choices that don’t accurately reflect the electorate’s views.
“When the information space is so polluted, then it can also lead to people staying away because they don’t believe it matters. They don’t believe their vote makes a difference. They think that everybody’s lying to them,” he said.
The chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN), Elsie Nghikembua, last week called on political parties to join hands and stop the spreading of misinformation and fake news.
She made the statement while political parties were signing the code of conduct.
Nghikembua said the commission has observed deliberate acts of misinformation and allegations made to tarnish political parties’ images and spark distrust.
“It is not only detrimental to our electoral democracy but to our beautiful country as a whole. We should all join hands here to stop the spread of fake news and disinformation,” she said.
She added that the codes of conduct signed by political parties will lay the groundwork for healthy political competition.
According to her, it will encourage transparency, promote accountability, and outline shared responsibilities for stakeholders.
“I urge each of you to embrace these principles, not just during the election period but as part of your daily political engagements. I encourage all political parties to actively communicate and uphold the standards set forth in this code of conduct,” Nghikembua said.
All political parties except the Congress of Democracy (CoD) signed the codes of conduct.
The code prohibits political parties from bribing voters and prohibits intimidation of election officials by party supporters or candidates.
Even though the CoD was not present at the signing, Nghikembua said they would reach out to the party to make sure that it had been signed.
ECN Commissioner Pius Ikwambi added that measures are put in place if a party fails to adhere to the conduct.
“There are punitive measures that the commission will exercise if a party fails to adhere to set conduct,” he said.
Swapo’s secretary general, Sofia Shaningwa, has said that by signing the codes of conduct, the party will abide by the set guidelines.
“By signing a code of conduct by all of us, it means that we are all going to adhere to the provisions as set in the codes of conduct,” Shaningwa said.
