Namibia's Main Opposition Presidential Candidate Rejects Outcome Of "Chaotic" Election
Namibia opposition Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) party, which hopes to end 34 years of rule by the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), has rejected the results of Wednesday’s election, whatever the outcome.
On Friday, the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) announced that polling stations that should have closed two days earlier would remain open until Saturday night.
The ECN admitted to “logistical” failures, including a shortage of ballot papers and overheating electronic tablets used to register voters, which left them standing in queues for hours.
From results from just 34 out of 121 constituencies, SWAPO had 56% of the parliamentary vote and 60% of the Presidential vote, according to a tally by the Namibian Sun.
In a statement issued on Saturday, IPC presidential candidate Panduleni Itula, who is standing against SWAPO’s Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, said the party will seek to nullify the election in the courts. Reads the statement:
Tonight, I address you as our nation faces a moment of great uncertainty. Of an unknown total of ballots cast between the 27th and today the 30th of November, only 160,000 have been counted and released.
Thousands of ballots remain locked away, their fate unknown, while polling agents across the country await orders from their superiors regarding ballots under their care to be counted and their results announced.
Polling stations, unlawfully designated as voting centres, continue processing votes under a shroud of illegitimacy.
For the first time in the history of Namibia and possibly in the history of elections, votes are being cast concurrently with vote counting and results publication.
Also, the voting process has been marred by:
- Widespread disenfranchisement, with voters turned away due to a lack of ballot papers.
- Brazen voter suppression, silencing the voices of Namibians yearning for change.
- Undermining the Electoral Act and its tenets regarding the entire electoral process.
In light of these grave irregularities, I have consulted with the leadership of the IPC, and we have reached an unshakable decision: The IPC will not recognize or accept the outcome of this deeply flawed process. Whether the results declare a win, a runoff, or a loss, we will seek to nullify this election in the courts.
electoral malpractices are glaring, undeniable, and unacceptable. This is not about us. This is not about me. This is about Namibia.
As IPC, we stand firm in our resolve to fight alongside other parties to nullify this election. Namibians deserve the right to freely and fairly choose their leaders.
I call upon all citizens: document the irregularities. Share videos, reports, and evidence with your parties. Let us expose the truth and reclaim the integrity of our democracy.
Together, we stand for Namibia. Together, we fight for justice.
Thank you.
More: Pindula News
