The opposition members in the National Assembly have maintained their objection to the appointment of Gerson Sindano as Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN).

Members argued that the appointment should not be approved until all legal and procedural concerns have been fully addressed.

They further added that the same commission on which the nominee served failed to provide a credible explanation for why it did not fulfil its constitutional mandate.

LPM MP Eneas Emvula said, "The concern is that the process does not comply with the Constitution and the Electoral Act, including the appointment procedure undertaken by the President in terms of the tenure requirement and the transparency of the selection process. They are aforementioned as precisely the kind of issues Parliament exists to interrogate, not simply endorse or to endorse. Hon. Speaker, we have seen other high-profile appointments, including the ACC, proceed with very little public scrutiny, creating a perception that the recommendations originating from the State House are increasingly treated as decisions to be ratified rather than tested."

Abednego Hishoono, IPC MP, highlighted that a contested nomination without demanding a clear legal justification sets an undesirable precedent. It suggests that procedural questions can be ignored whenever there is political support for a nominee. Constitutional governance requires Parliament to uphold both their letter and their spirit of law. For these reasons, this House, I advise you, all of us, should not approve the nomination."

"By all public accounts, he possesses impressive academic credentials and has served this country in various capacities. However, the Honourable Speaker, the Electoral Commission is unlike any other ordinary public institution. It is therefore a protector of our democracy. That is why Article 94(b) of our Constitution places such an importance on the Commission's independence. Having said so, the Honourable Speaker, each independence must not only exist in laws, but it must also be visible in practice and convincing the Namibian people," added Vilho Ihemba, IPC MP.

Swapo Party MP, Austin Samupwa, on the other hand, argued that the debate had become overly personalised with members focusing on the individual nominated by the president. He urged MPs not to dwell on identities and to proceed with the appointment.

"From what we know as Namibians, we have seen that this is one of the processes that was above board, because these commissioners were being interviewed in the public eye, everybody of us saw this. You can go and review it if you so wish. Our problem when we talk about these issues is we go from the process, and then we focus on individuals. And I don't think that is the way we should be debating these things because we are now personalising issues with the names that were handed by the president to the national assembly."