Eight candidates, including an independent candidate, are set to contest the Swakopmund by-election set for 12 August 2022.
The candidates were selected in a process which took place from 17 June until 02 July.
They include United Democratic Front of Namibia’s Zerold Dantu, Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters’ Rodger Dausab, Independent Patriots for Change’s Louisa Kativa, Landless People’s Movement’s Tangeni Musheka, Popular Democratic Movement’s Lelani Pascheka, Swapo’s Nehemia Salomon, United People’s Movement’s Kurzbach Von Seydlitz, and independent candidate Williward Narib.
The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) in a media release on Sunday said it will now proceed with the invitation for companies to submit bids for the printing of ballot papers as per the guidelines of the Public Procurement Act.
“In accordance with Section 49 of the Electoral Act, the voter education campaign for the upcoming by-election will be intensified from 18 July 2022. All sensitive materials for the by-election will be dispatched between 05 and 06 August 2022 under strict security and under escort of the Namibian Police Force. The materials will be placed for safekeeping at a police station within the constituency,” the statement noted.
The ECN added that in an efforts to boost voter participation and raise the voter turnout in the upcoming Swakopmund Constituency by-election, materials explaining the voting procedure, how to vote using ballot papers, and the proper marking of ballot papers have been produced in various languages.
A total of 145 polling officials will be recruited to make up 29 teams (26 fixed and three mobile) for the conducting of the by-election. The training of political party agents and police officers will be conducted from 04 – 05 August 2022, while training of polling officials will be conducted from 06 until 08 August.
A total of new 1716 voters were registered during the Supplementary Registration of Voters (SRV) which took place between 06 and 08 June ahead of the envisaged Swakopmund Constituency by-elections.
This includes 713 new applications and 1 003 changes of address, bringing the total number of eligible voters in the constituency to a total of 36 997 voters.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
