Justicia Shipena
The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) has launched an urgent self-review application in the Electoral Court to correct a seat allocation error made during the Rundu local authority election.
The commission admitted that one seat was wrongly awarded after the 26 November 2025 vote.
ECN chief electoral and referenda officer Peter Shaama said the commission detected the mistake soon after the results were announced and is now asking the court to set aside the incorrect declaration and replace it with the accurate allocation.
“Having made the administrative decision through its appointed official, the commission is functus officio and requires a competent court to review and set aside the decision,” Shaama said.
He said the commission is acting proactively and transparently to safeguard the integrity of the election.
The error happened when the returning officer allocated the final of the seven council seats to the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) instead of the Rundu Urban Community Association (RUCA).
According to ECN, a total of 12 560 votes were cast. With seven seats available, the quota for one seat was 1 794 votes. Swapo received 7 148 votes, earning four seats.
The Rundu Concerned Citizens’ Association received 1 337 votes for one seat. The Affirmative Repositioning Movement (AR) secured 799 votes for another seat.
RUCA followed with 674 votes, while IPC received 642 votes. Despite RUCA receiving more votes, the last seat was assigned to IPC.
The ECN convened a meeting with all affected political parties and associations on Tuesday to clarify the error and outline the corrective measures.
Shaama stated that the contestants valued the commission’s transparency and readiness to address the issue in court.
This follows a call by the ECN on Saturday urging unsuccessful candidates in the regional council and local authority elections to respect the will of the voters.
ECN chairperson Elsie Nghikembua said the outcome reflects the choices made by Namibians.
The ECN is asking the court to nullify the 29 November declaration that awarded the seat to IPC, assign the seat to RUCA instead and keep the other six seats as announced.
The previous allocations for Swapo, RCCA and AR remain unchanged.
Shaama said the commission’s actions show its commitment to protecting the constitutional rights of voters and ensuring the results reflect their choices.
“This legal action shows our dedication to transparency and our resolve to ensure that the allocation of seats accurately reflects the will of the electorate,” he said. The matter is now before the Electoral Court for urgent review.
Last week, opposition parties accused the ECN of delaying and obstructing the counting of ballots in the regional council and local authority elections.
Shaama said last Thursday that the ECN will not correct vote result discrepancies themselves but will refer issues back to the relevant collation centres for adjustment.
Days before the elections, the ECN confirmed it had detected discrepancies in some ballot paper packs supplied for the regional council and local authority elections.
The commission then rectified the ballot paper discrepancies and the correct amounts were delivered.
Caption
The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) on Tuesday admitted to a seat allocation error in the Rundu local authority for the just concluded election.
Photo: Contributed
