Despite political parties insisting the Electoral Commission of Namibia should not be allowed to handpick a printer for the upcoming elections, the commission yesterday announced the cancellation of the open international bidding process.

The chief electoral and referenda officer, Peter Shaama, stated that the commission deems this to be in the best interest of electoral democracy and public interest to avert the risk of the late delivery of the ballot papers.

During the political parties' liaison committee (PLC) meeting yesterday, the commission extended an invitation to the authorised representatives of all registered political parties contesting in the upcoming elections to observe the production, printing, binding and packaging of ballot papers.

He said they took into consideration factors that may negatively affect the timely delivery of the ballot papers for the Presidential and National Assembly elections to arrive at the decision to cancel the procurement process in accordance with section 54(1)(e) of the Public Procurement Act No.15 of 2015.

ECN spokesperson De Wet Siluka said the commission has not chosen a company yet.

Through its internal procurement structures, they considered alternative procurement methods in accordance with relevant provisions of the Public Procurement Act to ensure timely delivery of ballot papers.

"In its resolve to ensure transparency in the bid process to be initiated, the commission will continue to consult with the authorised representatives of all registered political parties at all material stages relating to the preparations for the elections," Shaama said.

"This is to ensure that political party representatives have oversight of the entire process associated with the production and delivery of ballot papers," he added.

The commission has in the same vein resolved to carry costs associated with the said participation, irrespective of where the ballot papers will be produced and printed.