The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN), Dr. Elsie Nghikembua, says addressing the spread of fake news, disinformation, and misinformation should be a priority.

She said this phenomenon has become one of the biggest challenges to the management of elections.

"With increased access to social media and other platforms, people can put up to the public discourse any material that is not true or verified. Some of it is packaged in such a way that it is convincing as truth when it is baseless. I appeal to you to help curb the spread of fake news and disinformation. You will also be exposed to many sources of information, and you need to scan and take it only from reliable sources. If you receive information, please do not pass it on unless you have verified it. We all have a responsibility to stop the spread of fake news."

Nghikembua added that the media plays an indispensable role in the electoral process as a bridge between the ECN and the public.

"The media's responsibility is to ensure accurate, balanced, and timely reporting of all election-related matters. I encourage you to continue engaging ECN to ensure the designation of factual and unbias information. You will agree that the role of the media becomes even more critical during the results announcement period. Speculation and unverified reports can lead to unnecessary confusion and disputes." 

She further added that there is a huge reliance on the media to work with the commission in disseminating verified election results.