Outapi: Voting in the seventh Regional Councils and Local Authorities elections on Wednesday started strong during the morning hours but weakened significantly as the day progressed, raising questions about turnout patterns across the Omusati Region. In the first hours after polls opened at 07h00, long queues formed at several stations, with many voters arriving before officials were ready to start.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Omusati Governor Immanuel Shikongo cast his ballot early at the Outapi community hall, signalling what appeared to be a promising start to the seventh regional and local polls. Outapi constituency, which has 26,444 registered voters for the regional councils elections and 8,934 for the local authorities elections, experienced one of the strongest early turnouts.
Ruacana recorded a similar pattern. About 80 voters cast their ballots early at the Oshifo community hall, where Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) presiding officer Victoria Shikongo said people had been waiting even before the gates opened. However, she expressed confidence that young people would contribute more significantly to voter turnout, saying many tend to vote in the evening. At the Oshifo shopping centre, the busiest voting point in the constituency, presiding officer Anatolia Teotona estimated around 160 voters had participated by late morning.
"We had a busy morning, as many people turned up very early before we opened. The process until now was very smooth, and we did not experience major challenges, apart from a few people who turned up but registered in other constituencies," she said. The Ruacana constituency has 9,858 registered voters for the regional elections and 3,081 registered for the local authorities elections in the Ruacana town council.
In Onesi constituency, early turnout was dominated by pensioners, followed by younger voters arriving later in the morning, according to the presiding officer, Laimi Namandje. "We started on time, and many pensioners voted in the morning. Now we see young people coming, as you can see the line," Namandje explained. According to ECN records, 9,617 people are registered to vote in the constituency.
By midday, activity had slowed at the Tsandi community hall, with people arriving only occasionally. Presiding officer David Heita, however, said he was satisfied with the morning turnout for both elections. Tsandi is one of only two village councils in Omusati, with 1,604 registered voters. Elections are also taking place in the Onandlamba village council, with 1,533 registered voters.
Similar scenes were reported at the Okahao state hospital polling point, where presiding officer Johanna Panduleni Peelenga described the process as "quite smooth". About 400 ballots had been cast for both elections by mid-morning. Okahao has 4,901 registered voters for the local authorities polls and 12,298 for the regional councils elections.
In the Elim constituency, presiding officer Hilja Shifengula recorded around 200 votes for the regional councils in the morning and anticipated a busier evening at Ashipala Secondary School. She noted that the younger voters tend to cast their ballots later in the evening. The constituency has 6,556 registered voters for the regional council elections.
At Oshikuku, where 9,883 people are registered to vote in the regional councils elections and 2,989 in the local authorities elections, roughly 200 voters cast their ballots at Nuuyoma Secondary School in the morning. Political candidates expressed general satisfaction with the process despite the ebb and flow of turnout.
Swapo Party regional council candidate for Oshikuku, Mathew Gabriel, commended the ECN for ensuring that voters were not forced to wait in long queues. He said he hoped more people would arrive before the stations close at 21h00. Local authority candidate Tjikomena Jackson, who is contesting under the Affirmative Repositioning banner in the Oshikuku town council, also praised the voting process and said he experienced no difficulties when casting his vote at the Oshikuku hospital.
Voting also took place in other constituencies across the Omusati Region, which has a total of 145,792 registered voters. Voting for regional councils also took place in the Anamulenge constituency, which has 9,628 registered voters, and in Etayi, where there are 15,298 registered voters. In Otamanzi, there were 7,083 registered voters, while Ogongo had 7,816. Okalongo boasts one of the highest numbers of registered voters, with a total of 15,584.