Parishioners of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia (ELCRN) are dissatisfied with the nomination and voting process for the church's upcoming elections for a new bishop, citing a lack of transparency and the exclusion of those from smaller towns.

Although the ELCRN has more than 300,000, only about 15,000 are believed to be registered as voters for the elections scheduled this Sunday.

Critics argue that the low registration numbers stem from limited participation in the nomination process, which they claim sidelined smaller congregations. 

The nominations reportedly took place only in the circuits of Keetmanshoop, Windhoek, Tsumeb, Usakos, Otjiwarongo, and Mariental.

When NBC News reached out to the ELCRN Nomination and Electoral Commission, Elder Andreas Katangolo stressed that democracy is not determined by the size of voter turnout but by those who choose to participate. 

On questions of transparency and voter awareness, he maintained that the process was fair. 

However, he declined to comment on the ballot paper controversy, asserting that the media could not receive such information. 

The initial elections were scheduled for August 10th but were postponed due to alleged irregularities in the nomination process and concerns of ballot paper tampering as well as voter manipulation. 

ELCRN Secretary General Pastor Asser Bock would not comment on the matter. 

The ELCRN elects its bishop and deputy bishop every six years. 

In 2019, Reverend Sageus |Keib was elected bishop, with Reverend Abraham ||Kheibeb inducted as deputy bishop. 

Both are currently completing their respective six-year terms.

In May, the church announced 12 candidates for this year's elections. 

From the list, three finalists were selected, namely Bishop Sageus |Keib, Deputy Bishop Abraham ||Kheibeb, and Lourenst Raonga Kuzatjike, all competing for the New Bishop and Deputy Bishop positions this Sunday.