Stefanus Nashama
The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) has called on the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) to ensure transparency in the upcoming presidential and national assembly elections.
The party’s secretary general, Christine !Aochamus shared this at a press conference held in Windhoek on Wednesday.
“The IPC calls on the ECN to ensure that the upcoming elections will be free, fair, and transparent and that the will of the Namibian people will prevail,” she said.
!Aochamus also commended the ENC for conducting a successful general registration of voters.
“I sincerely congratulate the ECN on a milestone achievement of 91 percent of eligible voters registered across Namibia. We are aware that the process was not without its challenges and we applaud the ECN for seeing the process through, for being responsive to queries and for responding to challenges encountered and brought to their attention swiftly,” she said.
She added that the high voter registration turnout indicates that Namibians are eager to have their voices heard to shape the future of their country.
This, she said, is a testament to the strength of democracy and the desire of people to participate in the electoral process.
“The IPC urges all registered voters to exercise their democratic rights and to cast their vote on election day. Your vote is your voice, and it is essential for shaping the future of our nation,” she emphasised.
She also asks that political actors, including the media, abide by the code of conduct as the election fever kicks in.
!Aochamus reiterated that the IPC does not tolerate political intimidation, intentional misinformation, violence, sabotage or propaganda from any other political actors and therefore condemns such acts.
“Let us all engage the electorate in seeking their votes without denying other contenders the right to exercise the provisions of Article 17 of the Namibian Constitution,” she urged.
A political science graduate, Sakaria Johannes, said it’s a good thing that the IPC emphasised transparency to avoid cooked votes.
He added that political parties are scared of irregularities when it comes to the November elections.
“Not only IPC but also AR emphasised transparency. Historically, we have heard of missing votes and rumours or stories of EVM machines that are no longer in use,” Johannes stressed.
He said that the primary purpose of these calls is to steer clear of such stories and focus on the serious business of being an independent entity.
