Windhoek: The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) announced its readiness to conduct the regional councils and local authorities' elections scheduled for 26 November. The commission confirmed the deployment of 20,209 polling officials across 4,861 polling stations nationwide.

According to Namibia Press Agency, ECN Director of Operations Zenia Klazen shared during a media engagement that the commission has completed 98 percent of its pre-election activities. This includes the establishment of 2,895 polling teams that will operate at the polling stations throughout the country. Klazen highlighted an increase in the number of polling stations compared to last year's general elections, with an additional 373 stations established.

Klazen explained that fewer mobile polling stations will be used in the upcoming elections compared to last year's national elections. This change comes as some mobile stations have been converted into fixed stations due to logistical challenges. "Most of the polling stations that were mobile last year have now been converted to fixed polling stations," she noted.

The ECN has also finalized the training and recruitment of key election officials. Klazen stated, "We have appointed 120 returning officers for the 120 constituencies as well as 59 returning officers for the local authorities." She added that the training for returning officers concluded in September, while the training for polling officials began on 7 November and is set to conclude on 13 November.

Furthermore, Klazen mentioned that election agents and police officers received training earlier this month. Meanwhile, political parties and candidates were trained in August on using the political party candidate management portal and understanding nomination requirements.

Additionally, Klazen announced the final voters' register, which now includes 1,499,449 registered voters, showcasing a balanced gender distribution with 53.9 percent female and 46.1 percent male voters. Special voting is scheduled for 24 November and will apply only to polling officials and police officers stationed outside their constituencies.

The electoral commission will conduct the seventh regional and local authority polls in 120 out of 121 constituencies across all 14 regions, encompassing 59 municipalities, town councils, and village councils. Notably, there will be no regional council elections in the Mankumpi Constituency of the Kavango West Region, as only the governing Swapo Party fielded a candidate.