Over three million ballot papers for the 27 November Presidential and National Assembly Elections arrived at the Hosea Kutako International Airport today.

The ballot papers were printed in Johannesburg, South Africa, in the presence of political party representatives and Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) officials.

The ECN says the procurement process for ballot papers was rigorously managed.

A total of 1.6 million ballot papers were printed for the presidential elections, while the exact number was printed for the national assembly elections. The papers arrived by plane at the International Airport just after 10:00 on Wednesday morning. 

Upon receiving the sensitive election material, ECN's Chief Electoral and Referenda Officer, Peter Shaama, explained the ECN's decision to cancel the international bidding required for the procurement of election materials, citing the need to meet critical electoral deadlines. 

Shaama said the procurement law allows the electoral body to waive such requirements under circumstances that could impact the timely delivery of essential election materials.

"Our decision aligns with these provisions, particularly given the statutory review periods and potential delays that could interfere with key election dates. The timelines set by Namibia's Public Procurement Act, along with our electoral requirements, emphasised the need for swift action." 

Shaama outlined the critical deadlines driving this decision, including voting abroad, special voting scheduled for November 13, and the general elections set for November 27. 

The Commission said changing the procurement method was essential to prevent any risk of delay and to ensure that all materials would be in place for these dates.

He added that the electoral management body's priority remains a transparent and timely electoral process, and every decision taken is focused on achieving that goal.

Shaama said that all political parties were invited to observe the printing of the ballot papers in Johannesburg, South Africa.  

"Reinforcing our transparency, we invited representatives from 21 participating political parties to observe the design, production, and packaging of ballot papers in Johannesburg. The verification of sample ballot papers by these representatives
concluded on 22 October 2024. The finalised ballot papers have since been printed, bound, packaged, and sealed under their observation and were transported to Namibia under secure conditions."