Stefanus Ndengu of the Swapo Party emerged victorious after garnering 2,970 votes in the Moses ||Garoëb Constituency by-election last night.

The politician, though promising change, faces a mammoth task of service delivery as a large part of the constituency remains without basic municipal services.

The election that saw Ndengu ascend to the position of political head of the Moses ||Garoeb Constituency has been described as smooth by the ECN Returning Officer, Rakondjerua Kavari.

But, with over 40,000 eligible voters, only about 4,800 showed up at the polls, and some are saying that they were not aware of the election.

But Kavari says that the ECN has been proactive in voter education and has laid the groundwork for informing the Moses ||Garoeb constituents.

The ECN has stated that with the exception of presidential elections, voter turnout has dropped over the past 30 years, but Kavari maintains that the timing might have played a critical role, saying that residents of the constituency have traveled for the holiday season.

"Voter turnout is expected to be low due to the holidays; it was quite steady from the morning, picking up a little at noon, and picking up again towards the afternoon."

The day of voting started at seven in the morning, and doors were shut at nine o'clock in the evening.

As the counting commenced, observers of the various candidates watched on, making sure that all was done in accordance with the law.