Windhoek: The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) has announced that the Regional Council election for the Ogongo Constituency will proceed despite the withdrawal of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) candidate. Ndalikutya Arkeleus Shonena withdrew as the IPC candidate for the Ogongo Constituency in the Omusati Region on Friday, leaving Swapo candidate Daniel Iilende as the sole contender in the race.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Peter Shaama, ECN's Chief Electoral and Referenda Officer, stated on Wednesday that the commission has not received a formal notification from the affected political party. He mentioned that the election schedule, established by a proclamation issued on 16 October 2025, has been strictly adhered to. This proclamation set the deadline for nominations on that date and scheduled the election for Wednesday, 26 November 2025, with all necessary preparatory steps, including the printing of ballot papers, already complete.
"The commission's position, premised strictly on the relevant legislative framework, is that the poll would only be called off if the specific circumstances listed in Section 83 of the Electoral Act, 2014, were met. Section 83 of the Electoral Act, 2014, governs the death or incapacitation of a candidate for regional council elections after nomination," he noted.
According to this provision, if a duly nominated candidate dies or becomes incapacitated before the polling begins, the president must withdraw the proclamation setting the polling day for that constituency. Furthermore, the provision states that if the death or incapacitation occurs during the polling, the returning officer must immediately terminate the polling.
"Given the fact that the circumstances necessitating the calling off of the poll in terms of Section 83 of the Electoral Act do not exist, the commission's position is that the poll in Ogongo Constituency will, in terms of the Electoral Act, proceed on the determined date of Wednesday, 26 November 2025," Shaama noted.
He went on to say that the withdrawal of a candidate's nomination is a procedure permitted under the electoral law, specifically Section 80(7) of the Electoral Act of 2014, which relates to the process of withdrawal before the close of the sitting for nomination. However, the circumstances necessitating the calling off of the poll in terms of the Electoral Act are confined strictly to the death or incapacitation of a duly nominated candidate after nomination, as prescribed by Section 83.