Namibia's main opposition party, the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), has filed a legal application with the electoral court, seeking access to the tallies of all ballots cast and counted in last month's election. This move sets the stage for a potential legal challenge to the results.
The IPC has already declared its refusal to recognize the election outcome, citing irregularities during the voting process, which was controversially extended twice due to logistical and technical challenges. The delays prevented some voters from casting their ballots on the original polling day, November 27.
The ruling SWAPO party, which has led Namibia since its independence 34 years ago, was declared the winner. Its presidential candidate, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, received 57% of the votes, while the IPC’s Panduleni Itula secured 25.5%.
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In its court filing, the IPC claimed there were significant irregularities during the election. The party is requesting the election authority to release detailed vote tallies for all four days of voting to assess the scale of these irregularities and decide whether to challenge the election's validity.
The electoral commission acknowledged various issues on the first day of voting, including shortages of ballot papers and malfunctioning electronic devices. These problems caused delays and forced some voters to wait in queues for up to 12 hours, with many eventually leaving without voting.
The IPC has alleged that these challenges were part of a deliberate strategy to suppress voter turnout by frustrating the electorate. The party maintains that full transparency in the tallying process is essential to ensure the integrity of Namibia's electoral system.
