ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE PROVISIONAL STATISTICS ON THE 2014 GENERAL REGISTRATION OF VOTERS (GRV) BY ADV. NOTEMBA TJIPUEJA CHAIRPERSON OF THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF NAMIBIA (ECN), Fellow Commissioners Director of Elections, Prof. Paul Isaak ECN Staff members Members of the Press Distinguished Representatives of Political Parties Representatives of Civil Society Organizations and the Media Ladies and Gentlemen The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN), in accordance with its statutory mandate of preparing, publishing and maintaining a National Voters Register and Local Authority Voters Register, has successfully conducted the third General Registration of Voters (GRV). The process commenced at 08:00 a.m. on Wednesday, 15 January 2014 and ended on the 2 nd March 2014. Section 15 of the Electoral Act, Act 24 of 1992 (as amended) provides for the conduct of General Registration of Voters (GRV) at intervals of 10 years. The 1 st GRV took place in 1992 (21 September 27 October 1992) and it was followed by a 2 nd GRV in 2003 (1 July 31 August 2003). This was therefore the third General Registration of Voters. In keeping with our mandate and core value of transparency, we are pleased to announce the provisional statistics of the third General Registration of Voters (GRV). 1
This was the very first time in the history of Namibia to use a fully-fledged biometrics voter s registration system. By its very nature, the biometric voter s registration system and its data capturing process is a precise and therefore an elaborate process. The system puts high premium on the accurate capturing of data to ensure the accuracy of the information and ultimately, the integrity of the end-product, which is the Voters Register. Admittedly, there is an inherent slight trade-off between speed and accuracy in the system when precise steps are involved. These include the verification of required documents, the capturing of the voters data on the Voters Registration Kits (VRK), taking of photographs, signature and finger prints, the verification of captured voter data and finally, the issuing of the voters cards. In light of this background, the ECN already acknowledged that the process initially started at a slow pace at some registration venues during the first week of the registration process. The teething problems observed at the start of the GRV process were not totally unexpected considering the magnitude of the exercise and the rollout of a completely new technology. However we nevertheless achieved the overall objective of reaching as many eligible voters as possible. Distinguished Members of the Press Let me share with you some notable challenges encountered during the GRV exercise: Legal Requirements for Local Authority elections Allow me also to clarify the requirements for registration as a voter for the Local Authority elections. Article 111 (3) of the Namibian Constitution states that Persons shall be qualified to vote in elections for Local Authority Councils if such persons have been resident within the jurisdiction of a Local Authority for not less than one year and immediately prior to such election and if such persons are qualified in elections in the National Assembly. 2
In compliance with this constitutional provision, Namibians wishing to register for Local Authority elections are required to proof their 12 months consecutive residency in their respective Local Authority areas. This could be by way of providing such prove through their water and electricity bills or telephone accounts from their municipal, town or village councils as further regulated by the Commission through Government Notice 147 which is a stipulation of the law. The Electoral Commission is fully aware that the utility bills are in most instances not in the name of all the members of the households and that the expansion of our cities and towns has resulted in residents who live in areas where it is virtually impossible to prove residency. There have been numerous complaints from members of the public concerning the registration requirements applicable for Local Authorities elections in particular. The ECN noted with concern that the stringent requirements for registration as a voter in a local authority area has discouraged many eligible voters to register in their respective local authorities. We fervently hope that the ongoing electoral law review process will consider appropriate registration requirements for local authorities. The ECN will once again afford eligible and would-be eligible voters an opportunity to register themselves during the supplementary registration processes preceding the 2015 Regional Councils and Local authority elections. The aim is to ensure that all those who could not be registered for local authority elections in particular during the GRV exercise will be registered. Transport The ECN faced serious problems regarding transport with acute shortages of suitable vehicles at the start of the GRV process. The ECN could not secure the required number of vehicles in order to successfully conduct the general voter s registration process. As a result, some registration teams especially in the urban centers, had to resort to sharing vehicles. This caused a serious delay in the opening of some of the registration venues especially the Windhoek Municipal area of the Khomas region. In alleviating the vehicles shortages being experienced, the ECN resorted to contracting private citizens with 3
suitable vehicles to assist in the transportation of personnel and materials during the GRV process. Mistakes on Voter Cards The ECN is fully aware that in some instances, the voter cards that were issued may have certain spelling mistakes and factual errors. Whilst we regret these errors we are pleased to inform holders of such voter cards that ECN will conduct a supplementary registration of voters before the forthcoming Presidential and National Assembly elections. ECN will make use of this opportunity to rectify any of the mistakes on the Voters Cards. Please rest assured that new Voter Cards with the correct details will be issued then. Furthermore, the ECN would like to inform eligible voters who may not have been able to register for the local authority elections for a variety of reasons that they will be able to register during the said supplementary registration exercise. Dates for the supplementary registration will be determined and formally announced at a later stage. This period will also cater for all persons who will be turning eighteen years between now and the weeks preceding the forthcoming elections, as well as those whose voter cards may get lost or damaged. Registration of Eligible Namibians abroad We have registered 3 441 eligible Namibians at registration venues established at our foreign missions around the world. This number appears to be quite low. The Commission will investigate this issue and consider new approaches to ensure that more eligible Namibians living abroad are afforded an opportunity to register as voters. One option is to establish mobile registration teams to visit strategic places where Namibians are concentrated in significant numbers. Director of Ceremonies, Ladies and Gentlemen, 4
As I indicated earlier, the 3 rd General Registration of Voters exercise was a mammoth national task as it indeed entailed an unchartered territory of enormous proportion for a young democracy such as Namibia and a relatively small institution like the ECN. The GRV entailed:- 699 Teams (Fixed: 175, Semi-Fixed: 382 and Mobile: 142) 3,852 Registration points 3,866 Temporary Registration Officials (including 58 Registration Officials at Diplomatic Mission) 1,268 Deployed Police Officers Ladies and Gentlemen, We have made available a comprehensive report on the provisional GRV statistics which has been circulated. However, allow me to share with you a summary of the report by highlighting the following numbers of the Provisional Statistics of the 2014 General Registration of Voters (GRV) exercise: Number of Registered Voters in-country 1,158,925 Grand Total Number of persons Registered Foreign Missions Duplicates detected through AFIS matching (persons who registered more than once) Number of people who registered through sworn statements in respect of Identity Number of people who registered through sworn statements in respect of Citizenship 3 441 1 747 188,855 106,313 1,162,366 Percentage of Youth Registered 44% Undoubtedly, looking at the figures one is tempted to declare that the Namibian youth have truly come of age. The so-called generation Y, which includes the BORN FREES, clearly shows that out of the 1, 158,925 total registered voters, 508,459 belong to the Generation Y. Clearly, the youth have come on board and are seriously taking part in the affairs of the Nation. 5
I also wish to add that it is no accident that the youth are taking part in the electoral processes at this point in time. The ECN has designed specific programs which targeted the youth. The ECN has long known that the youth love technology. Unlike the older generations, the youth is ready to embrace the introduction of new technologies. Therefore, the ECN has engaged the youth using social media platforms and stimulated the youth s love of fun and music at Road shows across the country. This has born fruits as evident from the third GRV and the results are all there for all to see. Ladies and Gentlemen Having concluded the registration process is only the first process in the many interconnected electoral processes of an Election cycle. However, the registration process is pivotal and if well executed, it lays a solid foundation for other processes including the election. The remaining steps to conclude the GRV process are all prescribed by law and are as follows: The completion of data uploading & consolidation process; Integrity checks and Quality Control; The compilation of the provisional voters register; The actual display of the provisional voters register during the Objection Period; The adjudication of the objection cases by Magistrates; The cleaning of the provisional voters register and the updating thereof following the ruling by Magistrates; The printing of the Final Voters Register and gazetting thereof on 27 May 2014. In Conclusion Ladies and Gentlemen, I can confidently report to you that the GRV took place in a peaceful and calm atmosphere across the country. The ECN would like to thank every eligible Namibia voter who ceased the opportunity presented by the GRV process and who went in droves to the registration venues and registered themselves. This was an opportunity availed to each and every eligible Namibian to register as a voter which will enable you to exercise 6
your fundamental right to elect those who will represent you at all levels of government, be it Presidential, National Assembly, Regional Councils or Local Authority. Allow me to profoundly thank the Voters who came in their masses to register, our leaders at all levels, sister government agencies including the Police and Security forces. The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) would like to make use of this opportunity to thank the electorate, including the entire Namibian nation for the patience and understanding shown by eligible persons while waiting to be registered as voters at different registration points across the country and at all Namibia s foreign missions across the globe. The ECN wishes to express its profound gratitude to all the staff members who contributed to the success of this very important and historic milestone. Allow me to also extend a special word of thanks, through the Inspector General of the Namibian Police, to our man and woman in uniform who participated in this process, for their selfless dedication and professional conduct. The ECN further wishes to acknowledge and encourage the role played by leaders at the National, Regional and all other levels in popularizing the GRV. Equally we acknowledge the important role played by other stakeholders including the media and civil society organization, and Community Leaders. It is worth noting that the Namibia Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) through the languages services in particular played an important role. On that note, let us congratulate ourselves and celebrate as a Nation the successful 3 rd GRV. On this positive note, let me take this opportunity to wish you all a joyous 24 th Independence Anniversary!!! WITH THESE FEW REMARKS, I THANK YOU. And May God Bless Namibia!! 7