Namibia’s Regional Councils and Local Authorities Elections ...• To be eligible to vote in this election,voters are also required to have resided in the Local Authority area where

NAMIBIA’S REGIONAL COUNCILS AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES ELECTIONS 2020

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VOTE

Still telling it like it is.

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT

Namibia’s Regional Councils and Local Authorities

Elections 2020


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ImprintContent: Panduleni NghipandulwaEditing: SusanneScholz,CarolaEngelbrecht&KittyMcGirrSupervision: Dr Clemens von Doderer Layout and Design: CarolinGuriras,LottaKaapanda-TheNamibianPrinting: Newsprint NamibiaPublication Date: 6 November 2020

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NAMIBIA’S REGIONAL COUNCILS AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES ELECTIONS 2020

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To have a say in the composition

of our government.

To see our views and interests represented.

To voice our preferences for

how our tax money is spent.

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To exercise our civic duty.

To elect leaders who will see to it that basic services

are delivered.To improve the quality of life for ourselves, our communities and future

generations.

Imprint

Content: Panduleni Nghipandulwa Susanne Scholz, Carola Engelbrecht & McGirr

Supervision: Dr Clemens von Doderer Layout and Design: The Namibian

Newsprint Namibia 9 October 2020

The future of Namibia is in the hands of the voters… Voting is not only our right; it is our

power!

To elect representatives who will work

ment of our regions, local authorities and constituencies.

or constituencies.

Why Should We Vote?

By not voting, we are giving up our voice.


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ImprintContent: Panduleni NghipandulwaEditing: SusanneScholz,CarolaEngelbrecht&KittyMcGirrSupervision: Dr Clemens von Doderer Layout and Design: CarolinGuriras,LottaKaapanda-TheNamibianPrinting: Newsprint NamibiaPublication Date: 6 November 2020

Table of ContentsLevels of Government in Namibia P 4Types of Elections in Namibia P 5-6A Closer Look at Regional Councils P 7A Closer Look at Local Authority Councils P 8 How Our Vote at Regional Level Impacts National Decisions P 9Codes of Conduct for Councillors P 10-11How Can We Hold Our Councillors Accountable? P 12How Can We Support and Influence Government Decision-Making at the Various Levels? P 13-14 Election Disinformation – What We Learned from the 2019 Elections P 15

If youwould like to learnmoreabouthowDemocracyworks inNamibia,pleaseconsulttheKnowYourGovernment(KYG),LawinNamibiaandAdvocacyinActionfactsheetseriesavailableonlineviatheLegalAssistanceCentre(LAC)atwww.lac.org.na/pub/publications.php or collect copies from the offices of LAC or theHannsSeidelFoundation([email protected]@hsf.org.na)

FactsheetsKnow Your

Government Law in Namibia Advocacy in Action


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Levels of Government in Namibia

Levels of Government in Namibia• Central: President, Parliament

(National Assembly & National Council), Cabinet and Ministries

• Regional: Regional Councils and Governors

• Local: Local Authority Councils and Mayors

Central Government • Consists of the President, Cabinet and the two Houses of

Parliament(NationalAssemblyandNationalCouncil).• Responsible fordeveloping thecountryandpromoting the

wellbeingofthepeople.• Possessesthepoliticalpowerandauthoritytocontrolstate

resources.

Regional Government • Consistsof14RegionalCouncils(oneperregion)electedbytheresidentsandoneGovernorfor

everyregionappointedbythePresident.TheGovernorreportstothePresident.• These14RegionalCouncilsaremadeupof121constituencycouncillors,eachrepresentingthe

constituencywhohasvotedthemintopower.• RegionalCouncilsworktodeveloptheirregionandpromotethewellbeingofitsresidents.

Namibia has three levels of government,namelythecentral, regional, and local government.Namibia is geographically divided into14 political regions. Each region is divided into smaller sections called constituencies.AccordingtotheNamibianConstitution,theremustbeatleast6constituenciesperregion,butnotmorethan12.Currentlywehave57 local authorities and 121 constituencies inNamibia.

WhilethePresidentandthemembersoftheNationalAssemblymostlyattendtonationalissues,theregional and local governments deal with challenges at the community level.

Local Government • Consists of 57 Local Authority Councils with differing numbers of Local Authority councillors

electedbytheresidents.Councillorselectmayorsanddeputy-mayorsamongstthemselves.• Local Authority Councils serve to develop their town or village and promote thewellbeing of

residentsoftheirspecificLocalAuthorityarea.• Local Authorities are autonomous governance entities. They have the power to make local

regulations,calledby-laws,onawidevarietyofmatters.

LAC(2018)FactsheetKYG,No.6of8

IfyouwouldliketolearnmoreabouthowregionalandlocalgovernanceworksinNamibia,pleaserefertotheKnowYourGovernmentSeriesNo.6of8:RegionalandLocalGovernmentfactsheetavailableonlinethroughtheLAC’swebsite


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Inarepresentativedemocracy,Electionsaretheprocesswherebycitizenschooserepresentativestoholdpublicofficeatvariouslevelsofgovernment.TherighttovoteisenshrinedinArticle17oftheNamibianConstitution.InNamibia,electionsforallgovernancelevelstakeplaceeveryfiveyears.InNovember2019wehadthePresidentialandNationalAssemblyelections,andon25 November 2020, we will have the Regional Councils and Local Authorities Elections.

Types of Elections in Namibia

National Assembly Elections

• MembersoftheNationalAssemblyareindirectlyelectedbythecitizens.

• Voterscasttheirballotsforapoliticalparty,notforacandidate.• AProportional RepresentationElectoralSystemisusedwhereby

thepercentageofvotesthatapoliticalpartyreceivesdeterminesthenumberofseatsitsecuresintheNationalAssembly.

• InNational Assembly elections independent candidates are notallowed.

Regional Council Elections

• Members of the Regional Councils are elected directly by thepeople.VotersineachconstituencyelectonepersontorepresenttheirconstituencyontheirRegionalCouncil.

• Voterscasttheirballotsforindividualcandidates.• Candidatescanbeeitherindividualsnominatedbypoliticalparties,

or independent candidates supported by at least 150 registeredvotersintheconstituencywheretheyarestandingforoffice.

• The First-Past-the-Post Electoral System is used whereby thecandidatethatreceivesthemostvoteswinstheelection.

• Citizens must register and vote for a Regional Councillor in theconstituency where they live, regardless of how long they havelivedthere.

In November 2020, we will be voting with ballot papers again!

Regional Councils Elections- You elect a candidate -

Name of Candidate

Name of Party or Indipendent

PhotoCandidate Logo

Presidential Elections

• The President is elected through direct vote by the people ofNamibia.

• Registered voters cast their vote for a candidate from a list of nominatedpresidentialcandidates.

• TobeelectedPresident,acandidatemustwinmorethanhalfofallvotescast.Ifnocandidatesecuresthislevelofsupport,therewillbe a runoff election between the two candidateswith themostvotes.

• APresidentservesforamaximumperiodoftwofive-yeartermsortenyearsintotal.


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Local Authority Elections

• Registered voters cast their ballots for a political party,organisation or association which has put together a listof candidates. To register for participation in elections,organisations and associations must submit a list of 250members who are registered voters. Candidates are electedthroughProportionalRepresentation.

• AllcandidatesmusthavebeenlivingintheLocalAuthorityinwhichtheyarerunningforelectionforatleastayear.

• Tobeeligibletovoteinthiselection,votersarealsorequiredtohaveresidedintheLocalAuthorityareawheretheirvoteiscountedforatleastayear.

Local Authorities Elections- You elect a Party, Organisation or Association -

Name of Party,

Org., or Assoc. AcronymPhoto

Head or Leader

Logo

The lawon LocalAuthorities requires theapplicationofaffirmative action for the representation of female candidates. Party lists for Councils of 10orfewermembersmustinclude3women.PartylistsforCouncilsof11ormoremembersmust include5women.ThisensuresthatNamibianwomenarewellrepresented inLocalAuthorityCouncils.

DuringtheRegionalCouncilandLocalAuthorityelectionswevoteforcouncillorstorepresentourinterests.

What is a Councillor?

• A councillor is an elected representative for the regional or local community which he or she serves.Councillorsprovideabridgebetweencommunitiesandcentralgovernment.

• CouncillorsaremandatedtomakedecisionsonbehalfoftheRegion,LocalAuthorityorConstituencytheyrepresent.

• Theroleofcouncillorsistoimprovethewellbeingofthepeopletheyserve.• Councillorsalsoactascustodiansandguardiansofpublicfinancesallocatedtotheirrespectivecouncilsby

thecentralgovernment.

IfyouwouldliketolearnmoreaboutelectionsinNamibia,pleaserefertotheKnowYourGov-ernmentSeriesNo.7of8:GovernmentElectionfactsheetavailableonlinethroughtheLAC’swebsite


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A Closer Look at Regional CouncilsWhat is a Regional Council?

• Registeredvoters ineach constituencyelectoneperson (a representative of a political party or a registered independent candidate) to represent them on one of the Regional Councils representingeachofNamibia’s14Regions.

• Electedregionalcouncillorsmustliveintheirconstituency.Iftheydonotresideintheirconstituencyatthetimeoftheirelection,theyhavethreemonthstomovethere.

• Each Regional Council elects a chairpersonwhopresidesoverallcouncilmeetings.• Each Regional Council also elects a management committee comprising a small number of councillors

withtheroleofensuringthatthedecisionsofthecouncilarecarriedout.Thecommitteeisappointedfortwoandahalfyears.

• Each Regional Council further appoints a chief regional officerwhoisresponsibleforimplementingtheCouncil’sdecisionsanddirectingtheadministrationoftheCouncil’saffairs.

• TheRegionalCouncilelectsthree of its members to serve on the National CouncilwheretheybecomepartoftheLegislatureaslawmakers.

What are the Functions and Duties of Regional Councils?

• Toadministeranddeveloptheregion.• TocollaboratewiththeNationalPlanningCommissionforthedraftingandimplementationofaregional

developmentplan.• Toadviseon theprovisionofwater,electricity,communicationand transport infrastructureetc. in the

region.• Toprovideandimprovepublicservicessuchaseducationalandhealthcarefacilitiesaswellasstimulating

jobcreationandeconomicdevelopment.• Toestablish,manageandcontrolsettlementareas.• ToadviseLocalAuthorityCouncils.• Toraisemoneyandadequatelydistributeresourcesprovidedbythecentralgovernmentforthebenefit

oftheregion.• ToconsultwiththeMinisterofFinanceonregionalexpenditureneeds.• ToadvisetheMinisterofUrbanandRuralDevelopmentorthePresidentonregionalmatters.

What Can We Expect from Our Constituency Councillor?

• Regularinteractionandconsultationwiththecommunity.• Deliveryofeffectiveandefficientservicesthatfulfilcommunityneeds,promotesocialwelfare,andimprovethelivingstandardsofthepeopleresidingintheirregion.• Adequatelyrepresenttheviewsandconcernsofhisorherconstituencyatregionallevel.


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What is a Local Authority Council?

• Namibia’s57LocalAuthorityCouncilsconsistof-currently377-electedlocalauthoritycouncillorswho each represent a political party, an organisation or association.

A Closer Look at Local Authority Councils

• The Local Authority Council represents the people living within its Local Authority and champions thedevelopmentofthearea.

• TherearethreekindsofLocalAuthorities:municipal councils, town councils and village councils. Classificationisdependentonsize,resources,andabilitytodeliverservices.LocalAuthoritiescanbere-classifiedastheydevelop.Therearepresently13municipalcouncils,26townscouncilsand18villagecouncilsinNamibia.

• Villagecouncilshave5members;towncouncilshave7-12membersandmunicipalcouncilshave7-15members.• Each municipal council and town council elects a mayor and a deputy mayor from amongs the councillors

to serve as their chairperson and vice-chairpersonrespectively.• Avillagecouncilelectsachairpersonandavice-chairpersonwhosepowersanddutiesaresimilartothoseof

themayorandtheirdeputy.• Municipal and town councils electmanagement committees fromamongst theirmembers each year

consistingof3-5electedmembersincludingthemayorandhisorherdeputy.• While municipal and town councils appoint clerks, village councils appoint secretarieswithbothpositions

assuming the role of chief executive officers (CEO) ofthelocalauthority.

What are the Functions and Duties of Local Authority Councils?

• Todraftlocalregulationsknownasby-lawsonawidevarietyofmatters.• Toprovide,maintainandimprovebasic servicesforresidentsintheLocalAuthoritysuchaswater,electricity,

sanitation, sewerage and drainage, roads, public transport, public places, parks and recreational facilities,cemeteries, public safety (fire brigade, ambulance), fresh food markets, public libraries and local tourismsupport.

LAC(2018)FactsheetKYG,No.6of8

What Can We Expect from Our Local Authority Councillors?

• Regularinteractionandconsultationwiththecommunity.• Promotionofthesocialandeconomicdevelopmentofthecommunityandthewelfareofitsresidents.• Ensuringpolicyimplementationbythemunicipalitytoaddresstheneedsofcitizens.• TransparentcommunicationofCouncildecisions.• Accountability to Local Authority residents; investigation and resolution of issues impacting residents’

wellbeing.

LocalAuthorityCouncillorsaretherepresentativesweshouldcontactifaroadinourarearequiresattentionorifwater,electricity,orsanitationservicedeliveryneedsimprovement.Representativesareobligedtorespondtoourqueries and investigateour concerns since communityparticipation in local development initiatives iscentraltothedesignoflocalgovernmentstructures.


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IntheRegionalCouncilelections,wevoteforourconstituencycouncillorwhoservesontheRegionalCouncilofourrespectiveregion.TheRegionalCouncilthenelectsthreeofitsmemberstoserveontheNational Council as Members of Parliament or MPs.TheNationalCouncilalongwiththeNationalAssemblycomprisethetwo houses of the legislatureformingoneParliament.

What is the National Council?• Intotalthereare42membersintheNationalCouncil.EachofNamibia’s14RegionalCouncilselectthree

members.• The National Council elects one of its members to serve as the chairperson with responsibilities to

maintainorderatitsmeetingsandanothermembertoserveasthevice-chairperson to support in this role.

What are the Functions of the National Council?• ToreviewthelegislationreferredtoitbytheNationalAssembly.• Toensurethattheinterestsofpeopleineachrespectiveregionarefairlyrepresentedinthelawspassedby

theNationalAssembly.

Powers of the National Council• PerformsanadvisoryroletotheNationalAssemblyinthepassingoflegislation.• Mayobjecttotheprincipleofabill,thatis,thebasicideabehindaproposedlaw.• MayproposeamendmentstoabillandsenditbacktotheNationalAssemblyforfurtherreconsideration.• In theeventofat least two-thirdsof theNationCouncilobjecting to theprincipleofabill, theNational

Assemblycanonlypassabillintolawifatleasttwo-thirdsofitsownmemberssupportit.

How Our Vote at Regional Level Impacts National Decisions

Ifyouwouldlikefurtherinformationonthebranchesofgovernment,pleaserefertotheKnowYourGovernmentSeriesNo.4of8:LegislativeBranch:ParliamentfactsheetavailableonlineonLAC’swebsite

For a full list of the current membership of the National Council alongwith member biographies and contact details, please visit the Namibian Parliament’swebsiteatwww.parliament.na

⁻ AllMembersofParliament(MPs)takeanoathtoupholdanddefendtheConstitution.

⁻ The Constitution states thatMPs are “servants of the people ofNamibia”andthereforemustnotenrichthemselvesimproperlyorinanyotherwayseparatethemselvesfromthebestinterestsoftheNamibianpeople.

⁻ AllMPsareexpectedtobehavewithdignity. ⁻ In linewiththeseparationofpowers,noMPmaybeemployed inthepublicserviceand

nomemberoftheNationalAssemblycanbeamemberofaRegionaloraLocalAuthorityCouncil.


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• Place the interests of the council before his or her own interestsandavoidprivateundertakingsthatinterferewithcouncillorresponsibilities.

• Adheretothefundamentalprinciplethatheorsheshouldratherservethanbeserved.

• Be dedicated to effective and professionalgovernance.

• Notbeabureaucratinthesenseofaninsensitiveadministrator but instead be a caring and serving person.

• Be committed to the highest ideals of honesty,objectivity,professionalism,andintegrity.

• Contribute actively and responsibly to theformulation and implementation of governmentpoliciesattheregionallevel.

• Put the general welfare of his or her communityabove party politics and abstain from all partisanpolitical activities that could impair his or herperformance.

• Seek to ensure that public property, facilities,services andfinancial resourceswithwhichheorsheisentrustedaremanagedandusedeffectively,efficientlyandeconomically,andthattheyarenotusedforprivatepurposes,exceptwhenpermissionislawfullygiven.

• Declare or disclose his or her personal assets and liabilitiesifsorequestedbyhisorhercouncil.

• Keephisorhercommunityinformedaboutregionalgovernmentmattersanddelivercourteousservicetothepublic.

• Use any confidential information obtained duringhisorherdutiesasamemberforpersonalgainorforthepersonalgainofanyotherpersonormakesuchinformationpublic.

• Beengagedinanytransaction,acquireanyposition,orhaveanyfinancialandcommercialintereststhatareincompatiblewithhisorheroffice.

• Solicit or receive any gift or favour that mayinfluencetheexerciseofhisorherdutiesoraffecthisorherjudgement.

• Discriminate,butmusttreatallpersonsequalintheexerciseofhisorherfunctionsandtheperformanceofhisorherduties.

• Seekanypersonalfavour.

Codes of Conduct for CouncillorsThe Ministry of Urban and Rural Development is responsible for guiding and supervising each Regional CouncilandLocalAuthoritythroughoutNamibia.TheMinisterisresponsibleforprescribingthecodesofconduct for council members which are outlined in the Regional Councils Act and the Local Authorities Act respectively.

Code of Conduct for Members of Regional Councils

Section9(3)oftheRegionalCouncilsActNo.22of1992(asamended)prescribesthecodeofconductformembersofeachRegionalCouncil.HereisalistofthemostrelevantDo’sandDon’tsforRegionalCouncilmembers:

A Member Must A Member Must Not


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Code of Conduct for Members of Local Authority Councils

Section10(3)oftheLocalAuthoritiesActNo.23of1992(asamended)prescribesthecodeofconductformembersof every Local Authority Council. Here is a list of themost relevantDo’s andDon’ts for Local Authority Councilmembers:

• Place the interest of the council before his or her own interestsandavoidprivateundertakingsthatinterferewithcouncillorresponsibilities.

• Adheretothefundamentalprinciplethatheorsheshouldratherservethanbeserved.

• Be committed to the highest ideals of honesty,objectivity,professionalismandintegrity.

• Notbeabureaucratinthesenseofaninsensitiveadministrator but instead be a caring and serving person.

• Contribute actively and responsibly to theformulation and implementation of governmentpoliciesatthelocalgovernmentlevel.

• Put the general welfare of his or her communityabove party politics and abstain from all partisanpolitical activities that could impair his or herperformance.

• Be attentive, fair, transparent and impartial intheperformanceofhisorher functionsor in theexerciseofhisorherduties.

• Ensure that public properties, facilities, services,and financial resources entrusted in him or heraremanaged and used effectively, efficiently andeconomically and not used for private purposes,exceptwhenpermissionislawfullygiven.

• Declare or disclose his or her personal assets if requestedbyacouncil.

• Representsthecommunityofalocalauthorityareaasawholeandnotonlythevotersofthepoliticalparty, association, or organisation that he or sherepresents.

• Atalltimesactinamannerthatretainsthetrustofthecommunitythatheorsherepresents.

• Keep the community constantly informed aboutlocal government matters and deliver courteousservicetothepublic.

• Use confidential information obtained duringhis or her duties for personal gain or make suchinformationpublic.

• Engageinatransaction,acquireapositionorhaveacommercialinterestwhichisincompatiblewithhisorheroffice.

• Receiveorsolicitagiftorfavourthatmayinfluencetheexerciseofhisorherdutiesoraffecthisorherjudgment.

• Use his or her position for favouritism or allowhis or her office to be used for personal gain orfavouritismbyanyotherperson.

• Discriminate,butmusttreatallpersonsequalintheexerciseofhisorherpowersortheperformanceofhisorherduties.

• Seekanypersonalfavour.

A Member Must A Member Must Not


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Accountability can be defined as the obligation of elected representatives to take responsibility for theiractions.Governmentofficialsareaccountable to the Namibian people for their conduct and performance.Inotherwords,the government works for us!

What Can We Do?

• Regional and LocalAuthoritycouncil meetings are generally open to the public which means wearefreetoattendtofamiliariseourselveswithkeyissues.Councillors’attendance at meetings is mandatory exceptwhentheyhaveleaveofabsenceormustwithdrawduetohavingavestedinterestinthemattersbeingdiscussed.

• Councils may also convene public meetings to give community members the opportunity tosharetheirviewsonaparticularsubject.Theseareusuallyannouncedinlocalnewspapersandotherpublicchannels.

• We can also request a public meeting onanymatterofpublic interestby collecting the signaturesof at least 10%of registered voters in our region or local authority. If this threshold of public interest isdemonstrated,thecouncilMUSTholdapublicmeeting.

• Ifanycouncillor’sobligationsunderthecodeofconduct(seeP10-11)arenotbeingupheld,reporthimorherinwritingforinvestigationandpotentialdisciplinaryaction.

• The chief regional officer (CRO) and the chief executive officer (CEO) are good points of contact forquestionsorqueriesabouttheworkoftheregionalorlocalauthoritycouncils,respectively.

Which Institutions Can Assist Us?

The Constitution requires that Namibia has an independent Ombudsman to guard against corruption and injustice, and to help protect the fundamental rightsand freedomsofallpeople.Citizenscanfileacomplaint to theOmbudsmanaboutcorruption, the abuse of power by officials, violations of fundamental rights andfreedoms,over-utilisationofnaturalresourcesordamagetothenaturalenvironment.

TheAnti-Corruption Commission (ACC) isanotherbodycreatedbytheNamibianConstitutionwithduties topreventandcombat corruption includingthe investigation of corrupt practices and educating the public on corruption.CitizenscanfileacomplaintaboutanysuspectedcorruptiontotheACC.

How Can We Hold Our Councillors Accountable?


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How Can We Support and Influence Government Decision-Making at the

Various Levels?Democracy isasystemofgovernancewheresupreme political power lies with the people in line with the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia.Thefollowingsectionpresentswaysinwhichcitizenscaneffectivelyvoicetheirviewsandconcernstothegovernmentandindoingsoinfluencegovernmentdecision-making.

Citizens can influence theprocessandoutcomesof governmentdecision-making throughAdvocacy definedas the practical use of knowledge for the purpose of effecting social change. Advocacy empowers citizens tolobbythegovernmentinsupportoroppositiontospecificlawsandpolicies.Furthermore,advocacystrengthensparticipatory democracy by mobilising community members to raise their voices on issues impacting theirwellbeingandlivelihoods.

How Can We Advocate for Change in Our Communities?

Meetings with Decision-Makers

» Personalmeetingswithpolicy-

makerscanbehighlyeffective,as

messagescanbedelivereddirectlyto

thedecision-maker.

» Havingadialoguewithone’s

electedrepresentativegivesusthe

opportunitytoexplainourown

positionsandconcerns,whilethe

decision-makersrepresentthe

positionofgovernment.

Writing Letters

» Writingaletterisasimplemethod

that can be used to raise issues of

concern.

» Alettershouldbeaddressedto

therelevantelectedrepresentative

whohasthepowertoaddressyour

concern.

» Makesurethatyouget

proofofreceipt.


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Ifyouwouldliketolearnmoreabouthowyoucanadvocateforyourcommunity,pleaserefertothefactsheetseriesAdvocacyinActionavailableonlinethroughtheLAC’swebsite

Drafting Petitions » Petitionsarearequestordemandtotherelevant governance structure or individual totakeactionwithintheirpowers. » Petitionsthatcollectmanysignaturesfrommembers of the public demonstrate to the electedauthoritiesthatthereiswidespreadsupport for the concern or opinion being expressed.

» Petitionscanbedistributedbyindividuals,interestgroups,NGOs,orcivilsocietyorganisations.

Staging Public Meetings and Demonstrations

» Public events can be organised to

raise awareness and educate the

public about issues concerning

theirwellbeing.

» Public events can assist in attractingmediaattentionand

publicitytoaparticularissue.

Engaging with Media (including

Social Media!)

» Mediaengagementisapowerful

tool through which to advance a

campaign.

» Themediaincludespressbriefings,

interviews,newspaperarticles,radio,

and television while social media

platformscompriseWhatsApp,

Facebook,Twitter,YouTube,

Instagram,TikToketc.

Using Computers, Cell Phones and

Other Technology

» AccesstoICTinfrastructureenables

widespreaddisseminationofinformation

tothepublic. » Useoftheinternetenabl

eseffective

communicationataminimalcostand

facilitateseasyaccesstocurrentaffairs

andinformation. » Theinternetalsoallowsf

orvirtual

meetings,whichenablespopular

participation,evenfromgroupsoutsideof

yourlocality.


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Thespreadofpolitical mis-/disinformationviasocialmediahasbecomeanundeniablerealityinNamibia,withpotentiallyfar-reachingconsequencesforhealthypoliticaldiscourseandengagementonbothonlineandofflineplatformsinthefuture.Theeffectsofinformationpollutiononpoliticalandelectorallandscapeshavebeenlaidbarethroughsomethingofafloodofmis-/disinformationdisseminatedonlineintheperiodsimmediatelypriorto,duringandafterNamibia’sNationalandPresidentialElectionson27November2019.

Key Takeaways

• There exist a considerable number of highly active groups primarily on WhatsApp and Facebook withdedicateddiscussionssurroundingNamibianpolitics.

• Political discussion groups on these social media platforms are often saturated with political mis-/disinformation,especiallyonWhatsApp.

• Thereisagreatdealofcross-postingofmis-/disinformationbetweenvariousgroupsandprofilesonthesetwoplatformswiththemutualsharingofsuchcontentparticularlyprevalentbetweengroupchatsonWhatsApp.

• Socialmedia userswhodemonstrate low levels of exposure to or engagementwith traditional channelsofreceivingnewsandcurrentaffairsappearthemostsusceptibletointernalisingmis-/disinformationandpassingitontoothers.

• Whenconfrontedwithfalsecontent,manyindividualusersandgroupmembersseemunabletodistinguishbetweencredibleanduncrediblesourcesofinformation.

• Mostindividualswhosharemis-/disinformationtendnottoseekverificationofitscontentandinsteadoptto‘forward’unsubstantiatedinformationtoasmanygroupsaspossiblewiththedisclaimer‘Forwardedasreceived’.

• There appear to be several fake Facebook profiles that serve as key proliferators ofmis-/disinformationbyforwardingcontenttopopularpoliticaldiscussiongroupsorcommentingonpublicpostsofapoliticalnature.

• While most online mis-/disinformation is spread randomly by susceptible groups and individuals, thereare also suspicious signs that some mis-/disinformation is deliberately disseminated through targetedhomegrowncampaigns.Furtherstudyisneededtosubstantiatethesesuspicions.

• Currently, there isnoevidenceof foreignmis-/disinformationcampaignswith theaimof influencing theoutcomesorotherwiseunderminingtheintegrityofNamibia’selectoralandwiderpoliticalprocesses

• Inmanyinstances,mis-/disinformationhastribalistundertones,whilesomecontentwasexplicitlytribalistorinsomeotherwaythreateningorincitinghateandviolence.

• Politiciansandgovernmentofficials,includingthePresidentandtheElectoralCommissionofNamibia(ECN),havethroughtheirownattimesmisleadingstatementscontributedtotheissueofmis-/disinformation.Thishasalsoservedtodecreasepublictrustintheelectoralprocessandpoliticalinstitutionsmoregenerally.

Election Disinformation What We Learned from the 2019 Elections

Compiled by Frederico Links

This articlewas compiled from the report ‘TrackingDisinformation: SocialMedia andNamibia’s2019Elections’,publishedandlaunchedbyNamibiaFactCheck,aprojectoftheInstituteforPublicPolicyResearch(IPPR), inFebruary2020.FredericoLinksistheeditorofNamibiaFactCheckandtheleadauthorofthe‘TrackingDisinformation:SocialMediaandNamibia’s2019Elections’report.

HOW OUR VOTES TRANSLATE TO ELECTED COUNCILLORS

National Council

42 MPs

14 Regional Councils

121 ConstituencyCouncillors

My vote for one canditate from - a political party or- an independent candidate

57 Local Authority Councils

My vote for - a political party or- an organisation or- an association

Councillors elect three per Region

Regional Councils Election- You elect a candidate -

Name of Candidate

Name of Party or Indipendent

PhotoCandidate Logo

Local Authorities Elections- You elect a Party, Organisation or Association -

Name of Party,

Org., or Assoc. AcronymPhoto

Head or Leader

Logo

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377 Councillors

VOTEVOTEStill telling it like it is.

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT

Namibia’s Regional Councils and Local Authorities

Elections 2020

Documents

Namibia’s Regional Councils and Local Authorities Elections ...• To be eligible to vote in this election,voters are also required to have resided in the Local Authority area where