Windhoek: Chief Electoral and Referenda Officer of the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN), Peter Shaama, on Thursday provided an update on the status of vote counting and results processing following Wednesday's Regional Councils and Local Authorities Elections, held nationwide from 07h00 to 21h00.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Shaama confirmed that all polling stations closed at the scheduled time, with voters who were still in queues by 21h00 allowed to cast their ballots. He said counting commenced immediately thereafter at all stations in line with the ECN's prescribed procedures for the verification and reconciliation of election materials.

Shaama stated that counting has been concluded in most polling stations, noting that preliminary results were posted at each station before teams proceeded to their respective collation centres. However, he added that a few polling stations were still finalising counting on Thursday morning due to long distances travelled and the detailed procedures required.

At the collation centres, returning officers are collecting all results from the teams. Once that process is completed, they announce the preliminary election results at the centres and transmit them to the Central Election Results Centre. Shaama emphasised that the ECN is currently verifying all preliminary results received from returning officers to ensure accuracy before the final announcement. Any discrepancies detected are referred back to the relevant returning officer for correction.

Shaama explained that the ECN does not have the power to effect any change. Where a discrepancy is detected, the result is sent back to the returning officer concerned for adjustment or correction if necessary. He described the verification process as both cumbersome and critical, noting that it requires precision to ensure the integrity of the final results.

Shaama assured that this meticulous process is essential to ensure that the final results announced by the commission are indeed correct. He requested the public's patience as they complete this important step. The ECN will announce the first set of cleared election results once verification is completed, with the exact time to be communicated through its communications department.