The Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Erastus Uutoni, introduced an amendment to the Electoral Act of 2014 to delay the general registration of voters to no later than August 31, 2024.

The current law provides for the general registration of voters to be conducted at intervals not exceeding ten years.

The objective of the amendment is to adhere to the timelines provided for in the Act.

Section 25 of the Electoral Act provides for the general registration of voters not to exceed ten years.

Erastus Uutoni informed the National Assembly that the ten-year intervals for the registration of voters will expire in March 2024.

He further stated that the ECN approached the office of the Attorney-General for an outlook on whether it would be legal to conduct general voter registration from April 2024 to July 2024.

"The Attorney General then advised that an amendment to Section 25 of the Electoral Act provides the most legally sound basis for carrying out a general registration of voters into July 2024. An amendment to the Electoral Act may also be the least controversial approach, considering the sensitive nature of electoral processes and the possibility of opposition or even legal challenges to proceeding without such an amendment. Further, the Attorney General also advised that the amendment could be crafted along the lines of the 2013 amendment to Section 15 of the repealed Act, or it may be effected in any other appropriate manner."

Uutoni said that the Electoral Commission of Namibia is currently in the process of amending the Electoral Act, Act 5 of 2014.

The minister said the amendment to Section 25 was discussed by the Cabinet Committee on Legislation during a meeting held on August 16 this year, with results from the committee stating the commencement of general registrations for next year in August.

"The amendment to Section 25 reads as follows: Section 25 Notwithstanding subsection 1, the fourth general registration of voters shall take place during a period not later than 31 August 2024 as the President may determine under subsection. The proposed amendment to Section 25 was subsequently approved by Cabinet on 10 October 2023."

He called on the support of MPs towards the Bill, which he said would help the ECN pave the way for smooth preparations for the general registration of voters to be held from April to July next year.