The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) aims to register more than 1.7 million eligible voters during its upcoming General Registration of Voters exercise, starting next week.
With less than 200 days left before the national elections on November 27, Namibia's electoral management body says it is on track with the activities of the electoral calendar.
The general registration of voters (GRV) is around the corner and will be running for 52 days, from the 3rd of June until the first of August.
The points will be open from Monday to Saturday, starting at 8:00 a.m. and ending at 7:00 p.m.
The GRV is conducted every 10 years.
"GRV is very costly, and it is not sustainable in the long run; unfortunately, that is what the law is currently. I think going forward in the future, it is something that the commission needs to look at," said Chief Electoral and Referenda Officer Peter Shaama.
The ECN's Director of Operations, Zenia Klazen, stated that the commission undertook regional council consultations during 2022 and 2023, as provided for in the establishment of registration systems and polling venues framework; however, only three out of 14 provided feedback.
"We have done our best by engaging with the stakeholders to provide input on the establishment of these registration and polling venues, and the feedback was not what we expected."
With a population growth of three million, the ECN has adjusted its initial target of registering 1.5 million eligible voters, with 458 local and 35 teams abroad.
"An additional 109 teams were established locally, bringing the final total number of registration teams to 567, totalling 602 teams, including 35 foreign missions."
The teams will serve 4,297 permanent and mobile registration points.
The commission sourced private vehicles to ensure smooth voter registration.
"We have a total number of 2,648 vehicles, of which only 36 failed the inspection."
Once the General Registration of Voters concludes, there won't be any supplementary registration.
The youth demographic is a special focus area to reduce voter apathy, which showed a worrying 67% voter outcome in the 2019 elections.
The ECN embarked on various initiatives, including the appointment of a lead youth ambassador, Miss Teen Namibia, and six other youth ambassadors.
Weekly updates on the GRV exercise will be provided on the ECN platforms.