A statement by Voice Speaker of the Parliament, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, delivered on April 29, 2025 at Windhook, Namibia.
Honorary Chairman of the House Committee. Honorable member.
I will stand up before the House of Commons this August and present the Namibian Election Commission (ECN) budget for fiscal year 2025/2026. In fiscal year 2024/2025, ECN was allocated expenditures of 607 million and 980,000 Namibiandru (n $637 983 000).
Total expenditure for fiscal year 2024/2025 was 68 million, 85,000 people and Namibian dollars (n $634 085 016), representing a 99.4% execution rate.
Funds allocated to vote in the previous fiscal year as an honorable member have been committed to three key programs: election management, voter and civic education, policy coordination and support services. Of that total budget amount, 72 million, 84,000 and 785 Namibian dollars (n $72 084 785) were allocated to personnel spending, with ordinary amounts of 55 million, 8,88, 198 Namibian dollars and N $565 898 215 being compensated. Daily business and election management of the committee spans all three phases of the election cycle (i.e., election stage, election stage, post-election stage).
Funds allocated to HR expenditures were primarily spent on paying salaries and other allowances for ECN staff, while funds allocated to non-people expenditures were primarily spent on the implementation of both the regional registrations for voter registration and voter verification, equipment, printing and advertising, renting out regional offices for ECN Regional Staff, and the 2024 general registrations. Overseas, election authorities pay with vehicles leases from public members.
Honorary members who are honorary chairman of the entire House committee should rely on the ECN budget requests for fiscal year 2025/2026 and on the specific programs implemented this fiscal year.
As you know, honorable members will have regional council and local government elections scheduled for fiscal year 2025/26. For fiscal year 2025/2026, ECN was allocated a total of 67 million and 80 million Namibian dollars (n $647 813 000). Of this amount, 69 million and 388 thousand Namibian dollars (n $69 348 000) are for HR expenditures, while 5.88 million and 450,000 Namibian dollars (n $578 465,000) are for non-computer consumption for sales work for sales.
ECN has two programs under the budget. In other words, election management and voter and civic education are the foundations of election operations. The two programs are complemented by program policy coordination and support services that provide administrative and policy support for election operations.
Program 01: Election Management
For this programme, 493 million and 93,000 Namibian dollars (n $493 903 000) have been allocated to cover non-people expenditures. Through this program, ECN will hold elections and promote voters’ participation in the election. Regarding the Regional Council Act, the ECN must hold elections within three months of the vacancy.
As a standard, in a given year, the ECN will make at least three by-election emergency provisions that may be required by vacancy that may occur at the Regional Council. As you know, there are currently five vacant seats in Grootfontein, Otjiwarongo, Kamanjab, Sesfontein and Kabbe South Constitutes, and this is the result of the resignation of a former councillor who later won a membership in the House of Representatives this August.
In compliance with legal provisions, the ECN has already begun preparing to hold these by-elections. Registration personnel training and supplementary registration of voters were held in five constituencies on the 5th to 8th to 10th to 12th respectively, according to the election schedule. It is expected that a year with five by-elections scheduled and regular elections will also be put pressure on ECN resources.
As part of preparations for the 2025 Regional Council and Local Government Elections, the committee will implement a nationally-wide voter education campaign and supplemental registrations of voters in all local, district and local governments. To increase operational efficiency in implementing the voter registration process, the committee will deploy additional teams to ensure maximum reach of all eligible voters during the supplemental registration of voters. For this reason, additional mobile voter registration kits and accessories will be required during this fiscal year.
One of the recurring challenges during the national elections, honorable members continue to be their ability to ensure proper transport for team deployment. Therefore, the budget stipulates the procurement of 36 vehicles to supplement the fleet. This is to ensure efficient implementation of voter and civic education programs, as well as campaigning for all local, constituency and local government committees.
ECN recruits, trains and deploys approximately 10,000 election staff, including additional voter education teams, to implement supplemental registrations for voters, and the subsequent voting process –
Program 2: Voter and Civic Education
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The program requires 28 million and 6 million dollars of Namibian dollars (n $25 643 000) to ensure timely and effective information dissemination. Through this program, ECN will implement citizen and voter education as part of its voter awareness campaign in the construction of a 2025 supplemental registration for local and local government elections.
To ensure inclusiveness and access to all information, information materials are reproduced in an accessible format for people with disabilities, such as Braille, voice, and sign language.
Program 3: Policy adjustment, supervision, and support services
The programme has proposed 5.8 million and 90 million Namibian dollars (n $58 919 000). This amount corresponds to the procurement of goods and services including property and equipment rental, utilities, ECN fleet management and maintenance, license renewal, committees and boards, election reports, and membership fees for regional and international election forums.
The ECN supports the motives this August home and requests that it approve a budget of 67 million and 80 million Namibian dollars (n $647 813 000) for the Namibian Election Commission for fiscal year 2025/2026.
I made an ECN request to consider this August home.
thank you.
Voting-28-Electoral-commission of namibiadownload
