Commentary by the speaker of the nationwide assembly Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, delivered on 29 April 2025 in Windhoek, Namibia.
Honourable chairperson of the total dwelling committee; honourable contributors;
I upward thrust before this august Condo to screech the funds for the Electoral Fee of Namibia (ECN) for the 2025/2026 financial year. At some stage in the 2024/2025 financial year, ECN became as soon as disbursed an appropriation quantity of six hundred and thirty-seven million, nine hundred and eighty-three thousand Namibian greenbacks (N$637 983 000).
The final expenditure for the 2024/2025 financial year became as soon as six hundred and thirty-four million, eighty-5 thousand and sixteen Namibia greenbacks (N$634 085 016), representing an execution price of ninety nine.4%.
Honourable contributors, the funds disbursed to vote in the earlier financial year were dedicated to three key programmes namely: elections administration, voter and civic schooling, and policy coordination and fortify services. Out of that total appropriation quantity, seventy-two million, eighty-four thousand, seven hundred and eighty-5 Namibia greenbacks (N$72 084 785) has been disbursed for personnel expenditure, and 5 hundred and sixty-5 million, eight hundred and ninety-eight thousand, two hundred and fifteen Namibia greenbacks (N$565 898 215) became as soon as disbursed for non-personnel expenditure, retaining the day-to-day enterprise and electoral operations of the price, sooner or later of all three phases of the electoral cycle (i.e. pre-election section, election section and put up-election section).
Funds disbursed for personnel expenditure mainly went to price of salaries and other allowances of ECN staff contributors, whereas funds disbursed for non-personnel expenditure were primarily spent on voters registration and voter verification, equipment, printing and commercial, apartment of regional offices for ECN regional staff, conduct of the 2024 customary registration of voters and presidential and Nationwide Assembly elections every in the community and the least bit 35 Namibian diplomatic missions in a foreign nation, besides to price of election officials, including leasing of vehicles from contributors of the public.
Honourable chairperson of the total dwelling committee, honourable contributors, let me now turn to the ECN’s budgetary query for the 2025/2026 financial year, and the inform programmes to be applied sooner or later of this financial year.
Honourable contributors, as you shall be conscious, there are regional councils and native authorities elections scheduled for the 2025/26 financial year. For the 2025/2026 financial year, ECN has been disbursed a complete quantity of six hundred and forty-seven million, eight hundred and thirteen thousand Namibia greenbacks (N$647 813 000). Out of this quantity, sixty-nine million, three hundred and forty-eight thousand Namibia greenbacks (N$69 348 000) is for personnel expenditure, whereas 5 hundred and seventy-eight million, four hundred and sixty-5 thousand Namibia greenbacks (N$578 465, 000) is for non-personnel expenditure to cater for the day-to-day enterprise and electoral operations of the price.
The ECN has two programmes under its funds, namely: elections administration and voter and civic schooling, which shall be the cornerstone of the electoral operations. The two programmes are complemented by the programme policy coordination and fortify services which gives for administrative and policy fortify to the electoral operations.
Programme 01: Elections Administration
An quantity of four hundred and ninety-three million, nine hundred and three thousand Namibia greenbacks (N$493 903 000) has been disbursed for this programme to duvet non-personnel expenditure. Thru this programme, the ECN will conduct elections and facilitate the participation of voters in elections. By strategy of the regional councils act, the ECN is required to conduct a by-election internal three months of a vacancy taking place.
As a frail, in any given year, ECN makes contingency provision for on the least three by-elections that is also necessitated by vacancies that will well maybe come up in regional councils. As you are conscious, there are currently 5 vacancies at Grootfontein, Otjiwarongo, Kamanjab, Sesfontein and Kabbe South constituencies as a results of the resignation of the former councillors who attributable to this reality took up membership of this august dwelling.
In compliance with the correct provisions, the ECN already commenced preparations to conduct these by-elections. Coaching of registration officials and the supplementary registration of voters became as soon as conducted in all 5 constituencies on 5 to 8 and 10 to 12 April 2025, respectively, per the electoral schedule. Preserving 5 by-elections and in a year the attach regular elections are also scheduled to grab pickle (regional and native authorities) is expected to exert stress on the ECN resources.
As a factor of the preparations for the 2025 regional council and native authority elections, the price will conduct nation-large voter schooling campaigns and supplementary registration of voters in all regions, constituencies and native authorities. In verbalize to make certain elevated operational effectivity in the conduct of the voter registration processes, the price will deploy extra teams to make certain a most attain of all eligible voters sooner or later of the supplementary registration of voters. For this reason, procurement of additional cell voters registration kits and accessories will be required sooner or later of the most contemporary financial year.
Honourable contributors, one in all the recurring challenges sooner or later of the conduct of any nationwide elections stays the potential to steady sufficient transport for the deployment of teams. Therefore, the funds makes provision for the procurement of thirty-six vehicles to supplement its quick. That is to make certain atmosphere friendly conduct of the voter and civic schooling programmes, besides to electoral activities of the price in all regions, constituencies and native authorities.
The ECN will recruit, prepare and deploy roughly seventeen thousand election officials, including extra voter schooling teams for the conduct of the supplementary registration of voters and subsequent polling activity under the –
Programme 2: Voter and Civic Education
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An quantity of twenty-5 million, six hundred and forty-three thousand Namibia greenbacks (N$25 643 000) is being requested for this programme to make certain neatly timed and efficient information dissemination. Thru this programme, the ECN will conduct civic and voter schooling as fragment of the voter consciousness campaign in the manufacture-up to the 2025 supplementary registration for the regional and native authorities elections.
To verify inclusiveness and score admission to to information for all, information affords will be reproduced in accessible formats for contributors with disabilities similar to braille, audio and signal language.
Programme 3: Policy Coordination, Supervision and Relief Products and services
An quantity of fifty-eight million, nine hundred and nineteen thousand Namibia greenbacks (N$58 919 000) is proposed for this programme. This quantity will cater for the procurement of items and services which encompass property and equipment apartment, utilities, administration and maintenance of ECN quick, licence renewals, price and boards, electoral stories and membership expenses to regional and international electoral forums.
The ECN requests this august dwelling to fortify the motivation and approve the funds of six hundred and forty-seven million, eight hundred and thirteen thousand Namibia greenbacks (N$647 813 000) for the electoral price of Namibia for the 2025/2026 financial year.
I build the ECN’s query forth for the consideration of this august Condo.
Thank you.
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