Compendium: Commission Activities 2011-2015 Electorial Commission of Namibia THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF NAMIBIA 1 2 THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF NAMIBIA COMPENDIUM OF REPORTS ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF NAMIBIA Volume One – Annual Reports for the reporting period: 2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014 Volume Two – Performance Assessment and Post-Election Reports: 2014 Presidential and National Assembly Elections; and 2015 Regional Council and Local Authority Elections THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF NAMIBIA 3 ABOUT THIS COMPENDIUM his compendium on the activities of the Electoral Commission of Namibia is presented in two series, Tnamely, Volume 1 and Volume 2. Volume 1 presents the summary of the annual reports of the Electoral Commission of Namibia covering the reporting period 2011/12 to 2013/14. It needs to be noted that Part A of Volume 1 is written in a manner to give an exposition of the current legal position of the Electoral Commission of Namibia, while Part B of Volume 1 outlines the situation as it pertains to each of the respective reporting periods (years). Similarly, some issues, for example Electronic Voter Machines were recurrent. Such issues, accordingly, and consistent with compendium writing style, must be and are highlighted for each of the respective reporting periods (years) in a manner reflective of the situation as it was then. Volume 2 is a compendium of the Performance Assessment and Post-election Reports as compiled for the 2014 Presidential and National Assembly elections and the 2015 Regional Council and Local Authority elections as required by the new Electoral Act of 2014. 4 THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF NAMIBIA VOLUME ONE ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF NAMIBIA COMPENDIUM OF ANNUAL REPORTS1/12 to 2013/14 THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF NAMIBIA 5 TABLE OF CONTENT i. Abbreviations and Acronyms..................................................................... ................ ii. Forward by the Chairperson of the ECN................................................................... Part A: General Information • Strategic overview:................................................................................................... • Vision........................................................................................................................ • Mission........................................................................................................................ • Strategic outcome-oriented goals................................................................................ • Values......................................................................................................................... • Constitutional and Legislative mandate of the ECNGovernance............................... • Governance structure of the ECN............................................................................... • Procedures for appointing Commissioners................................................................ Part B: Compendium of Annual Reports • Annual Report 2011/2012................................................................................................... • Annual Report 2012/2013................................................................................................... • Annual Report 2013/2014................................................................................................... 6 THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF NAMIBIA ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS BVRS Biometric Voter Registration System CEN Commonwealth Electoral Network CERC Central Result Centre CSOs Civil Society Organisations DDB Division Democracy Building ECN Electoral Commission of Namibia ECF-SADC Electoral Commissions Forum of the SADC countries EMB Electoral Management Body ERTS Election Result Transmission System EVMs Electronic Voter Machines FAQs Frequently Asked Questions GRV General Registration of Voters LA Local Authority LRDC Law Reform and Development Commission OMAs Offices, Ministries and Agencies PNA Presidential and National Assembly Elections PVR Provisional Voters’ Register RC Regional Council THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF NAMIBIA 7 Voter Education Sessions being conducted in the oshana region. 8 THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF NAMIBIA FOREWORD This compendium has been compiled to include the Annual Reports spanning the five year term of the Commission as from 23 August 2011 - 22 August 2016. The compendium addresses the implementation and achievements of the strategic objectives set for the period under review under the following strategic themes: • Democracy Building • Capacity Building • Legal Framework • Infrastructure Development • Operational Excellence Under the theme Democracy Building significant achievements by the ECN during the period under review include the completion of the General Voter Registration in 2013. This ambitious assignment was done through the use of biometric technology to develop the National Voters Register. Extensive voter education preceded this exercise with major emphasis on people living with disabilities and other marginalised communities. The introduction of the EVMs during by-elections during 2013/2014 and the 2014 general elections was the second most significant achievement under this strategic theme. This was a historic milestone in the election history of Africa and significantly enhanced the accuracy of results with the total elimination of spoilt ballots from the electoral process. THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF NAMIBIA 9 The theme Capacity Building saw the development of a Gender Policy for the ECN and the development of a new structure which addresses the changed legal framework to be refined in alignment with the next Strategic Plan. The theme Legal Framework witnessed the development of the Electoral Act 5 of 2015, by the ECN in collaboration with the Law Reform Commission. Furthermore, Constitutional amendments elevated the Electoral Commission to a constitutional body. Under the Infrastructure Development theme the ECN identified land in three regions and commenced with architectural designs for the construction of ECN offices. This is in compliance with the requirement of the Electoral Act that regional offices be established throughout the country. Under the theme Operational Excellence the ECN has commenced with the initial stages of the implementation of a Performance Management System. To this end, all permanent staff members signed Performance Management Agreements for the period ending 31 March 2017. The numerous achievements highlighted by the ECN during the period under review specifically address the five strategic themes. These significant achievements were made possible purely as a result of a committed staff complement, the continued interaction by the ECN with its stakeholders, and the constant oversight role of the Commission. The ECN has delivered upon its mandate during the period under review and remains committed to furthering the principles of electoral democracy in our nation. Adv. Notemba Tjipueja Chairperson: Electoral Commission of Namibia 10 THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF NAMIBIA PART A: General Information Strategic Overview Vision The strategic plans, programmes and activities of the ECN are guided by its vision: “To be the leading autonomous and most credible elections management institution in Africa”. To obtain the said vision and carry out its mandate the Mission Statement of the ECN is: “To deliver free, fair and credible elections, managed in a transparent, innovative and participatory manner in order to strengthen democracy in Namibia.” The Strategic Goals which articulate what the ECN aims to achieve through the carrying out of its mandate are outcome-oriented. To this end, the strategic goals of the Commission are to: • Build a democratic culture in the country; • Achieve operational excellence; • Invest in capacity building; • Play the lead role in the development and enactment of a sound electoral legal framework. The implementation of these strategic goals is geared to achieve certain objectives, namely, to: • Improve coordination and communication technology; • Ensure responsive electoral legal framework; • Deliver free, fair and credible elections; • Improve voter education activities; • Mainstream gender and disability and ensure compliance with the relevant policies at national level; • Ensure highly skilled and competent personnel. To achieve its vision, mission, strategic goals and objectives, the Commission has adopted a set of five (5) Core Values to guide and dictate the day-to-day behaviours and actions of its Commissioners and staff members. These core values and their meaning are as follows: THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF NAMIBIA 11 i) Accountability: To account to the Electorate, Parliament and the Namibian nation at large; ii) Non-Partisanship: To maintain political neutrality and refrain from deliberately advancing or prejudicing the interest of a given political party and stakeholders; iii) Professionalism: To demonstrate, through collective efforts, the highest level of competence, skills and acumen in the delivery of our mandate; iv) Confidentiality: Adhere to the secrecy of the vote, thereby to instil confidence in the process outcome; and v) Integrity: To uphold honesty and transparency in the electoral process. Constitutional and legislative mandate of the ECN he Namibian Constitution and the Electoral Act No.5 of 2014 provide the electoral framework for the powers and functions of the ECN. The constitutional mandate of the ECN emanates from article 94B of the Namibian Constitution.