Commission lashed for SA ballot inspection trip

The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) is under fire for arranging a nine-day trip to SA for politicians to inspect the production of ballot papers for Namibia’s upcoming elections. The Namibian reports that the commission is being lashed by political parties for its decision to hand-pick Ren-Form CC, a SA company linked to the inflation of a ballot-printing tender in Zimbabwe, for this tender. The tender is worth about N$6.2m ($350 000). The Republican Party, the Popular Democratic Movement and the Christian Democratic Voice Party have boycotted the trip and are planning to take part in a protest march against the ECN today. They want the commission to withdraw the tender and launch a public procurement process, which they argue would be more transparent. The ECN’s delegation of 18 political parties contesting in the presidential and National Assembly elections are currently in SA. Political analyst Rui Tyitende said the parties which sent delegates are complicit in the saga. ‘For the parties which initially protested against Ren-Form CC’s appointment, their willingness and participation to observe the printing of the ballot papers implies that they are confused as they are saying ‘yes’ and ‘no’ to the appointment of a dodgy company like Ren-Form,’ he said.