Namibia: Electoral Commission Budget Presented for Upcoming Elections

Statement by Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, Speaker of the National Assembly

Delivered on 29 April 2025 in Windhoek, Namibia.

Honourable chairperson and members,

I stand before you to present the budget for the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) for the 2025/2026 financial year. In the previous year, ECN received N$637,983,000. The total expenditure was N$634,085,016. This represents an execution rate of 99.4%.

The funds from last year supported three key programs: elections administration, voter education, and policy coordination. Of the total amount allocated, N$72,084,785 went to personnel costs. Meanwhile, N$565,898,215 covered non-personnel expenses for daily operations during all electoral phases.

Personnel funds primarily paid salaries and allowances for ECN staff. Non-personnel funds were used for voter registration and verification. They also covered equipment costs and advertising expenses. Additionally, they funded regional office rentals and payments to election officials.

Now let’s discuss ECN's budget request for 2025/2026. There are regional council and local authority elections planned this financial year. ECN has requested a total of N$647,813,000 for this period. Out of this amount, N$69,348,000 is designated for personnel costs.

The remaining N$578,465,000 will support daily operations and electoral activities.

ECN's budget includes two main programs: elections administration and voter education. These programs are essential to our electoral operations. A third program provides administrative support to these efforts.

Program 1: Elections Administration

For this program, we have allocated N$493,903,000 for non-personnel expenses. This funding will help conduct elections and encourage voter participation. According to law, ECN must hold by-elections within three months of a vacancy.

Typically each year includes provisions for at least three by-elections due to vacancies in regional councils. Currently there are five vacancies due to resignations from former councillors who joined this House.

In line with legal requirements, ECN has begun preparations for these by-elections. Training sessions took place from April 5-12 in all affected constituencies as per our schedule.

Holding five by-elections alongside regular elections will strain ECN resources.

To prepare for the upcoming regional council and local authority elections in 2025/26; we will conduct nationwide voter education campaigns and supplementary registrations across all regions.

To improve efficiency during voter registration processes; additional teams will be deployed to reach eligible voters effectively. We plan to procure more mobile voter registration kits this financial year.

Transport remains a challenge during national elections; thus we budgeted for thirty-six new vehicles to enhance our fleet's capacity.

This will ensure effective civic education programs and electoral activities across all regions.
We aim to recruit approximately seventeen thousand election officials along with additional voter education teams.


Program 2: Voter and Civic Education

We request N$25,643,000 for this program aimed at timely information dissemination.
Through it; ECN will conduct civic education as part of our awareness campaign leading up to supplementary registrations.
Information materials will be accessible in formats like braille or sign language.


Program 3: Policy Coordination

We propose an allocation of N$58 million for policy coordination services.
This funding covers procurement needs such as property rental and utilities.
It also supports management of the ECN fleet along with necessary licenses.


In conclusion; I urge this House to approve the proposed budget of N$647 million for the Electoral Commission of Namibia in the upcoming financial year.
Thank you very much!