Voters who were deprived of the opportunity to vote in Wednesday's watershed national election and political parties are demanding that the 2024 presidential and National Assembly elections be declared invalid.
The elections were marred by several challenges, including a shortage of ballot papers, long queues, poor communication from the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) and technical glitches with voter verification.
A petition circulating among frustrated citizens accuses the ECN of gross negligence and deliberate voter suppression.
It was launched yesterday and obtained over 1 000 votes by late afternoon.
The petition claims thousands of voters were effectively disenfranchised by being turned away from polling stations when voting was cut off at 21h00 on Wednesday.
Other complaints are that mobile voting stations abandoned communities before all eligible voters could cast their ballots, and that polling stations ran out of ballot materials or suffered technical malfunctions.
"Through this poll, we would like to motivate the ECN to rectify this immediately, either by extending voting until all registered voters have an adequate chance to vote, or by declaring these elections null and void," the petition reads.
Legal Assistance Centre director Toni Hancox yesterday described the widespread issues during Wednesday's election as a form of voter suppression.
She argued that long queues, insufficient ballot paper and other logistical failures effectively deprived voters the chance to vote.
"If you are not able to vote . . . the term would be voter suppression, meaning they're making it so difficult for you to vote that, in fact, you have been disenfranchised," Hancox said.
She said while the law allows for adjustments to voting times, this must be decided before the election day.
For those seeking to challenge the election outcome, Hancox said there is the option of approaching the Supreme Court.
"If there's a political party or interested person that wishes to take on this issue, then what they would do is go to the Supreme Court as the court of first instance.
"So any challenge relating to the outcome, for example, would be heard on an urgent basis there. It's a constitutional right," she said.
Citing article 17(2) of the Namibian Constitution, which guarantees citizens the right to vote, prominent lawyer Richard Metcalfe said the ECN has failed in its duty to uphold democracy.
He said an election where the electorate cannot vote due to the incompetence of the ECN cannot be considered free and fair.
"The inane incompetence of the ECN ensures that voters have been denied their entrenched constitutional right to vote. The elections were simply not fair. Any political pretender who tries to assert otherwise is delusional," Metcalfe said.
Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) vice president Trevino Forbes yesterday also said the ECN has failed the nation.
He said many eligible voters were not afforded the opportunity to exercise their democratic right to vote.
This comes amid claims that about a 1 000 Husab Mine workers could not vote as the mobile ECN team had to leave while voters were still queuing to vote at the mine.
Other examples include Dordabis, where the mobile team reportedly left 30 people in the queue, and Goanikontes, where hundreds were allegedly abandoned before they could vote.
The same reports surfaced about voters at Pro-Ed Akademie at Swakopmund.
"The Husab Mine workers are not the only workers the ECN has left behind without casting their vote. Countrywide people were turned away by ECN staff for a lack of ballot boxes, ballot paper shortages, or mobile teams that were instructed to proceed to the next polling station while people were waiting in the queues.
"They have failed the nation. This country still needs another day of voting . . ," Forbes said.
The IPC on Wednesday filed a formal complaint with the ECN and announced plans to approach the Electoral Court urgently.
The ECN did not respond to a request for comment at the time of going to print yesterday.
Swakop Uranium executive vice president Irvin Simataa yesterday dismissed claims about the stranded mine workers as "exaggerated", citing logistical and operational explanations.
"The polling station was mobile, stationed at our village on site, and was primarily meant for employees residing there and those working specific shifts," he said.
Simataa said the station was operational from 07h00 to 10h00 and extended its hours until 14h30 due to unexpected demand.
However, claims surfaced that the polling station was removed before all employees could vote.
"It is practically impossible to have 1 000 people queuing within the time allocated," Simataa said.
In a video distributed on social media, eligible voters can be heard saying: "They need a bus, and they need proof. Since early morning we did not vote till now.
"And the afternoon shift is here now again. At least they must provide a bus, then we go to Arandis. Please."
Husab Mine is classified as an essential service provider and runs a continuous operation.
On Wednesday plant and open-pit workers were on leave and only essential staff remained on duty.
The mobile ECN team could reportedly cater to 70 people only.
Simaata suggested that the matter stemmed from a misunderstanding about the mobile polling station's purpose.
"We issued a memo on 25 November, informing employees about the voting arrangements, including transport schedules and break periods to allow participation," he said.
Erongo election officer Aune Ndakeva yesterday said the mobile polling station was specifically arranged for employees living at the mine and not for the entire workforce.
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However, a larger number of employees than anticipated showed up, creating logistical complications.
"When we were mapping venues, we engaged Husab Mine's management, because they have a community of people residing there," Ndakeva said.
"Considering that it's a public holiday, other employees who commute to the mine were expected to vote at polling stations near their residences."
Ndakeva said the allocated time for the polling station was based on the number of residents at the mine.
However, when polling began, buses transporting additional employees, those not living at the mine, started arriving, significantly exceeding the anticipated turnout.
This overwhelmed the mobile polling team, which had other locations to reach.
"We couldn't stay longer to accommodate everyone, because it would have meant denying voters at the next location their democratic right to vote," Ndakeva said.
She confirmed that the management at Husab Mine intervened to explain the situation to non-resident employees, advising them to vote at their designated polling stations.
"This was a temporary measure," he said, adding, "It was not meant to accommodate all 1 600 employees simultaneously."
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