The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) has decided to cancel the open international bidding process for printing ballot papers for the 2024 Presidential and National Assembly elections.

The ECN says the decision to cancel the bidding process was arrived at on Monday.

It says it considers this step to be in the best interest of electoral democracy and the public interest to avert the risk of the late delivery of the ballot papers.

The date for voting abroad is the 13th of November, while the date for voting inside the country is on the 27th of November.

The ECN, in a statement, says it is now considering alternative procurement methods to commission the printing of the ballot papers.

Initially, an open international bidding tender for the printing of the ballots went out on the 11th of September, when a call for expressions of interest was published in newspapers and on the ECN's website. 

The closing date for applications for this process was supposed to take place on Wednesday, where all bids were to be opened in the presence of the bidders' representatives at the ECN headquarters.

Spokesperson of the ECN, De Wet Siluka, says the electoral commission will now have to consult with political parties before it moves forward with the alternative procurement method it will embark on for the sake of transparency.

However, Siluka could not say exactly when the electoral commission will meet with all registered political parties and only responded that the meeting will be held as soon as possible. 

The ECN says all parties taking part in the 2024 elections are invited to observe the production, printing, binding, and packaging of the ballot papers.

The ECN will bear all costs associated with this participation, irrespective of where the ballot papers will be produced and printed, to ensure that all party representatives have oversight over the entire process.