Hardap: Polling stations across the Hardap Region officially closed at 21h00 on Wednesday, with Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) Regional Electoral Officer Willem Uirab confirming that preparations for vote counting were underway.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Uirab stated that while stations have closed, ECN officials will ensure that voters who were still at polling points at closing time will be assisted. "If people were already at the station by 21h00, they will still be allowed to vote. No one will be turned away," he said.

He explained that once all non-officials have left the premises, presiding officers and police officers will secure the ballot boxes from both the Regional Councils and Local Authorities Elections, as well as the special voting conducted on Monday. "The materials and ballot boxes will then be collected and form part of today's voting process," he said.

According to Uirab, counting agents and presiding officers will begin the administrative procedures immediately after securing the materials. "They will fill in the results forms and post them outside the venue for public viewing before sending them to the collation centre," he noted.

At the collation centre, ECN officials will verify the results and address any discrepancies before forwarding the final tallies to the ECN head office, where the national collation process will take place. The ECN chairperson will then announce the official results.

Uirab mentioned that voting in the region proceeded without major challenges. "Everything went smoothly in Hardap, except for a few technical glitches which were resolved promptly," he said.