Prof. Gerhard Tötemeyer, Director of Elections in Namibia, 1992 to 1997.
THE electoral process is fundamental to democracy and an integral part of it. Namibia has constitutionally committed itself to a multi-party democracy and free elections which guarantee each voter a free and independent choice.
Since the Constitution commits Namibia to multiparty democracy, elections remain an important exercise in pluralism and as such, an essential element in democratization Article 17 (2) of the Constitution states: “Every citizen who has reached the age of eighteen (18) years shall have the right to vote and who has reached the age of twenty-one (21) years to be elected to public office, unless otherwise provided herein.”
The implication of this sub-article is that the state must ensure through its agency, the Electoral Commission, that all persons of eighteen years and older are given the opportunity to register as voter and to vote. The electoral process is fundamental in any competitive democracy. Elections have become an important exercise in pluralism and as such an essential element in a democratic process.
An electoral process cannot be separated from capacitating and empowering voters. It is only successful and meaningful when people have taken ownership of it. A working democracy needs proper checks and balances. The electoral process is one of them. It is for the electoral bodies to secure that the electoral process is humancentred and internalised.
Nobody should feel marginalised. And this includes incapacitated people, voters in old age homes, hospitals, prisons, on sea and outside the country. Democracy presupposes equal value to each citizen, a committed and affirmative state and a freely elected, people-driven government. The electoral process is at the heart of democratic capacity building and involves the whole society.
The building of democracy includes not only the pursuance of political values and political attitudes that uphold democracy, but also the conduct of comprehensive voter registration, effective electoral campaigns and proper voter education as an integral part of the electoral process. An electoral process can only be meaningful if voters understand the essence and consequence of democracy as related to elections.
It is claimed that democracy would be better understood if people could “eat it”, in other words that it would deliver tangible benefits such as employment, adequate social care, eradication of poverty, sufficient food, comprehensive medical services, quality education, and other benefits. Twenty years after independence, Namibia is still challenged by principle issues, among them how to fully actualize democracy and to make it optimal credible. It cannot be denied that a conceptual linkage exists between socio-economic rights, cultural rights and democracy as much as between a functioning democracy and electoral processes.
Both are expected to foster and strengthen stability, prosperity, security and peace in society. It is not only the government called upon to foster such rights, but also civic society through its agencies and organisations such as political parties, educational institutions, religious entities, labour unions, peer groups, gender organizations and other non-governmental and community based organizations.
Civil society must exercise a control function and ensure that all the stakeholders in an electoral process adhere to the rules of the game. They must see to it that the electoral bodies and the political parties adhere to the principles of fairness, equality, transparency, impartiality and accountability. It is a process of education for democracy. The task is to make the electoral process better known and comprehensible for the people.
Voters must be taught the relevance of regular elections in a democracy and what an electoral process entails. The most important institutions in an election are the Electoral Commission and the Directorate of Elections. Impartiality, efficiency, competency, trustworthiness and guaranteeing the secrecy of the votes should be the hallmarks of electoral bodies. Crucial is the absolute neutral and independent role the Electoral Commission and its executing agencies must play in the electoral process.
Accountability and transparency are not only applicable to the Electoral Commission and the Directorate of Elections, but equally to the contesting parties in an election. All registered and participating parties are legally obliged to sign a Code of Conduct. The weakness of such Code of Conduct is the missing enforceability. Its application relies on ethical and voluntary principles and acceptance by the signatories.
Political stakeholders in an electoral process are obliged to respect electoral bodies as non-political institutions, a principle to which electoral bodies must also adhere to. Electoral bodies must always remain neutral. Accusations against the electoral bodies, such as being partial, exercising foul play or being incompetent, are wellknown phenomena before, during and after elections. Such accusations are often used as scapegoats for the failures, faults and frustrations of political stakeholders.
A losing election culture, thus unconditionally accepting defeat, is still underdeveloped in Namibia. Electoral bodies make mistakes. They are not perfect and are not infallible. For that reason communication and dialogue are so important before, during and after elections, as well as understanding and trust between all the stakeholders in an election.
Trust rests on confidence, honesty and tolerance. The binding guideline for both the electoral bodies and the stakeholders in an electoral process is to be totally committed to democratic norms, values and practices. One can state with confidence that Namibia has since its independence twenty rears ago developed a culture of democratic elections, although admitting there is always space for improvement.
