The SADC, African Union, and the African Centre for Governance (ACG) have commended the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) for the peaceful conduct of the elections and efforts to include inmates and diaspora citizens in the voting process.

The missions, at the release of preliminary findings on Namibia's national elections, identified several areas for improvement.

Despite the praise, logistical challenges such as ballot shortages, long queues, and delays caused by malfunctioning electronic voter verification machines were identified as having interfered with the smooth running of the process. 

The African observer missions further raised accessibility issues for the elderly and disabled voters and inconsistent voting procedures as some of the concerns raised.

The question of allowing voters to cast ballots at any polling station, according to the observers, caused logistical bottlenecks, leading to election material shortages. 

Delays at some polling stations were attributed to staff inefficiencies and technical failures, further frustrating the voters, with extreme heat conditions exacerbating the situation.

Recommendations included increasing polling stations and booths, restricting voters to designated locations or their constituencies, and implementing a crisis management framework.

With voting extended to November 30, the mission urged Namibians to remain peaceful and patient as results are awaited. 

A final report, with detailed recommendations, will be released within 30 days to support future electoral improvements.