The Regional Councils and Local Authorities elections (RCLA) are scheduled to take place on 26 November 2025.

The Regional Councils elections is an election process in which citizens elect their representatives on constituency level in which they reside, known as Regional Councillors. These elections are held after every five years. Regional Councillors are the link between the central government and the citizens in the region and they are responsible to spearhead development in the constituencies in which they are elected.

Regional Councils elections are conducted according to the majoritarian or first- past-the-post electoral system. In this system the candidate or party/association/organisation with the most votes win the election.

Local Authority elections, is an election process in which citizens elect representatives in local authority areas in which they reside, known as Local Authority Councillors. These elections are held after every five years together with the Regional Councils elections. Local Authority Councillors are elected to serve the people in the various local authorities such as village councils, town councils or municipalities.

Local Authorities elections are conducted in terms of the proportional representation system. The seats in the local authority council are allocated in proportion to the number of votes received per political party/ organisation or association. The more votes received by the political party, organisation or association contesting in the elections, the more seats it will receive.

An Organisation or Association must be registered with the Electoral Commission of Namibia as provided for in terms of Section 135 of the Electoral Act in order to contest elections in the specific local authority area in which it is registered. In order to be registered the application process must be followed and the establishment of the organisation or association must be in line with the objectives as outlined in the Electoral Act.

All Namibian citizens who are in possession of valid voter’s cards will be able to vote in the Regional Council and Local Authority elections. Only voters cards issued during 2024 General Registration of Voters and all subsequent Supplementary Registration of Voters are valid.

Polling stations will open at 07h00 and close at 21h00.

All registered voters whose voters’ card are lost or damaged will have an opportunity to apply for a duplicate voter registration card during the period as outlined in the Electoral Calendar.

A voter will be required to apply in person with the voter registration officer for a duplicate voter registration card and should be able to identify himself/herself. The voter registration officer may request further details regarding the facts and circumstances of the loss or destruction of the voter registration card.

Unfortunately, the Electoral Act 5 of 2014 do not allow the issuance of duplicate voter registration cards on the day determined as a polling day. A voter would not be able to apply for a duplicate voter registration card.

Elections for Regional Councils and Local Authorities are restricted to a constituency or local authority area. Voter’s can only cast their votes in the constituency and local authority in which they are registered.

Voting refers to the process of choosing representatives by casting a ballot, a document used by people to formally express their preference. A voter is issued with a ballot on which the voter is expected to mark the ballot with a cross (X) in the space provided next to the candidate or party/association/organisation of his or her choice on the ballot paper. This process determines the winner of an election.

Voters must present their valid voter registration cards issued by the Electoral Commission of Namibia in order to vote.

On average, it should take about four to five minutes after entering a polling station and upon verification for a voter to complete all the necessary steps and exit a polling station.

At polling stations, voters form a queue outside a polling station and is allowed entrance one by one. The following steps summarizes the voting process in a polling station:

Step 1: Each voter is checked for traces of visible and invisible ink.
Step 2: The voter eligibility is verified against the Voter’s Register.
Step 3: The voter is marked with indelible and invisible ink.
Step 4: The voter receives a ballot paper for the Regional Council and if in a Local Authority area another ballot paper for the Local Authority election.
Step 5: The voter enters a voting booth to mark their ballot paper/s in secret.
Step 6: The voter cast the ballot paper/s in the designated ballot boxes for the Regional Council and Local Authority elections.
Step 7: The Voter leaves the polling station.

As a voter, you are entitled to request the Presiding Officer to issue you with a new ballot paper after you have returned the ballot paper wrongly marked. The Presiding Officer will then cancel the wrongly marked ballot paper as “spoilt”.

A spoilt ballot paper is described in Section 102 of the Electoral Act. A ballot paper becomes spoilt when a voter realizes that he or she made a mistake or wrongly marked the ballot. A spoilt ballot paper is not cast in the ballot box, but returned to the Presiding Officer whom must mark the ballot with the word “spoilt” diagonal and place the ballot in an envelope marked “Spoiled Ballot Paper”.

A rejected ballot paper on the other hand is provided for in terms of Section 105(3) of the Electoral Act, which provides that a Presiding must reject a ballot paper when it;

a) does not bear the official (ECN) secret mark and the Presiding Officer have reasonable grounds to believe that it has not been officially issued to a voter;

b) is unmarked;

c) is impossible to determine with certainty for which political party or candidate/association/organisation as the case may be the ballot is recorded (i.e. the ballot contains more than one mark or voting for more than one party or candidate/association/organisation or it contains any writing or mark which reveals the identity of the voter).

Party regalia/colors are prohibited inside polling stations. Campaign materials such as posters, banners, party flags and billboards must be only stationed at least 500 meters away from polling stations.

The use of both visible and invisible ink is part of the security measures instituted to prevent double voting. In addition, the voter is scanned and marked on the electronic voters register as being voted as a means to guard against double voting.

Double voting is an offence and is punishable in terms of the Electoral Act.

No. The Secrecy of a Ballot is protected, with exception of the blind who are assisted, in the first instance, by a relative, friend or presiding officer. However, it is important to note that elections officials take an Oath of Secrecy to prevent them from disclosing any confidential information including the choice of the voter.

Undue influence is an offence and is punishable in terms of the Electoral Act.

Section 103 of the Electoral Act stipulates that a presiding officer or polling officer may assist or instruct a voter in the manner of voting at a polling station. The assistance or instructions referred to are to direct a voter to a polling booth, inform a voter in respect of the procedure a voter may follow on entering a polling booth, without interfering with the secrecy of the vote of the voter or with the exercising of the franchise of the voter.

Section 103 2 (c) further indicates that a voter can also be accompanied by any other person of their choice to vote on their behalf, or who can request the presiding officer to assist the voter or vote on their behalf.

There are no restrictions but the Commission may issue directives to limit the number of voters to be assisted by members of the public. The ECN recommends that one individual should not be allowed to assist more than 10 people who are unable to vote on their own.

Yes. However, in cases where the polling officials are not aware due to invisible disabilities or pregnancies or other reasons, these voters should inform the presiding officer.

No, party agents are not allowed to assist voters in polling stations.

The election agent is a representative and observer of a registered political party, association/organisation or candidate by whom he/she was appointed. Their role is to observe that correct procedures are followed during the voting and counting processes in elections. The party agents are governed by a Code of Conduct and required to take an Declaration of Secrecy before assumption of their duties.

Yes, when a voter’s name does not to appear on both the Voter Verification Device and soft copy of the voters’ register, BUT the voter is in possession of a valid Voter Registration Card (VRC), the Voter Verification Officer shall bring it to the attention of the Presiding Officer. The Presiding Officer must verify the VRC before instructing the Voter Verification Officer to complete Elect 27 and allow the voter to vote.

For the purpose of the Regional Councils and Local Authorities Elections, in order to ensure that officials appointed as returning officers, presiding officers, polling officers, counting officers or police officers, are not excluded from voting in the elections, Section 98(3) makes provision for a voting day known as Special Voting Day for these categories of voters.

Election Observers are persons who have been accredited by the Commission to enter and observe polling at the polling stations/counting venue/collation centres. An Observer may represent a local / foreign organisation or country.

The Observer observes the proceedings at the polling station and may not give instructions or interfere with the voting process in any way.

No. The use of cellphones are not permitted in the polling station and voters are not allowed to take photos or recording videos of himself/herself while voting in the polling booth.

A voter taking a photograph or recording a video of him or herself, or the mark made on his or her or any other person’s ballot paper commits and offence and is punishable in terms of the Electoral Act.

No. In terms of Section 100 (13) of the Electoral Act 5 of 2014, if a voter refuses that the prescribed identification mark be applied to his or her finger or fingers, the voter may not be issued with a ballot paper and will thus not be permitted to vote.

The presiding officer is an election official appointed at every polling station who is in charge of the polling venue and is accountable for the polling station layout, equipment and materials. He/she control, manage and ensure the efficient and smooth operation of the polling process at the designated polling station. The presiding officer also assists voters or polling officials in need and communicates and reports to the Returning Officer about any challenges, shortages, disputes, emergencies or occurences at their designated polling station.

The Occurrence Book is meant for registering complaints, incidents or occurrences in a polling station. The Occurrence Book shall be displayed at one of the tables in the Polling Station or Collation Centre for access by any person; being a voter, polling officer, observer, media or election agent, who wants to register any complaint, incident or event. The Presiding Officer must ensure that any person is provided with a copy of the occurrence recorded by such person.

All Occurrence Books with recorded occurrences must be placed in an envelope clearly marked Occurrence Book, for submission to the Chief Electoral and Referenda Officer through the Returning officer.

A person may be nominated as a candidate for the Regional Councils elections as a member of a registered political party, by the political party/association/organisation or as an independent candidate whose nomination is supported by at least 150 registered voters in the constituency for which the nomination is intended.

A person may not be nominated to stand as a candidate for more than one constituency.

The Electoral Commission of Namibia have introduced an Online Political Party and Candidate Management (PPCM) portal for submission of nominations for the 2025 Regional Council and Local Authority elections. The purpose of this system is to facilitate and ease the nomination process for political parties/associations/ organisations and aspiring independent candidates. However, aspiring Independent Candidates will have to be registered as users on the portal in order to submit their nominations.

Nominations as a candidate for a regional council election are submitted to the Returning Officer (RO) for each constituency of which the candidacy is intended at any time during the period as provided for in terms of the Electoral Act and published through a proclamation in the Government Gazette.

Yes, the nomination of each candidate for the Regional Council elections should be accompanied by a receipt proving that an amount of N$2500 has been deposited with the State Revenue Fund by or on behalf of the registered political party/candidate submitting the nomination.

In certain circumstances the nomination fee is redundable, i.e.

(a) if the nomination is rejected by the RO;

(b) if the nomination is witdrawn by the political party or candidate; and

(c) if the candidate is declared duly election, i.e only one political party/independent candidate submitted a nomination for the constituency concerned.

The first day for the commencement of the nomination period is 26 September 2025. The final day of Nomination for independent candidate’s is 14 October 2025 at 16h00 and for Political Parties/Associations/ Organisations is 16 October 2025 between 09h00-11h00.

The Returning Officer for the constituency or local authority area must convene a public sitting session for the submission of nomination for candidates from 09h00 – 11h00, but if at the last mentioned hour (11h00) any person present is ready to submit the nomination of a candidate or it has been submitted and not completed the Returning Officer must continue with the sitting to enable the candidate to be duly nominated.

The Returning Officer after examining every nomination of a candidate is satisfied that the nomination has complied with the applicable legal requirements, must declare as soon as possible after the close of sitting a candidate concerned duly nominated in writing.

In the case where only one nomination in respect of a constituency is received, the Returning Officer must declare that person to be duly elected as a member of the regional council for the constituency concerned.

If any duly nominated candidate in an election for a member of a regional council in any constituency dies or become incapacitated before the poll, the President must upon being satisfied of the fact of the death or incapacitation withdraw any proclamation determining any polling day.

If while the poll for the election in a constituency is taking place and any duly nominated candidate dies or becomes incapacitated the Returning Officer must immediately terminate the polling upon being satisfied of the fact of the death or incapacitation and notify the Commission in writing.

All proceeding relating to the nomination of the candidates for the election concerned must commence afresh in the same manner as if a vacancy had occurred in respect of the constituency.

If after the close of a public sitting no candidate has been declared duly nominated, all proceedings related to the election concerned must commence afresh in the same manner as if a vacancy had occurred in respect of the constituency at the time of the close of the sitting.

To stand as an independent candidate for the Regional Council election a candidate must:

a) Be a Namibian citizen by birth or descent,

b) Be 21 years or older,

c) Be a registered voter for the Regional Council election,

d) Qualify to be elected as a member of the National Council,

e) Be ordinarily resident within the constituency for which she/he is standing or if not become an ordinary resident within three months after the election if elected,

f) Submit a list containing the names, voter registration numbers and residential addresses of 150 registered voters in the constituency supporting the nomination, none of whom have already signed in support of any other candidate in respect of the election concerned,

g) A Nomination Form to be signed by at least two persons on the supporters list, and

h) A receipt indicating that an amount of N$2500 have been deposited in the State Revenue Account.

A person may only be nominated by a registered political party/organisation/association as a candidate on a list of candidates for a local authority council election if:

a) he or she is qualifies to be a member of the local authority council as contemplated in section 7 of the Local Authorities Act, 1992, as amended and

b) is a member of the political party/organisation/association submitting the nomination.

A registered political party/organisation/associaiton which intends to take part in an election for members of a local authority council must submit to the Returning Officer:

a) A list containing the name, sex, voter registration numbers and residential addresses of candidates in writing. The names on a list of candidates must appear in the order as the registered political party or organisation/associaiton may determine;

b) The names should not be less than the number of members required to fill the seats in the local authority concerned; and five names, voters’ registration numbers and residential addresses in addition thereto;

c) The list of nominated candidates should be accompanied by a declaration by the authorized representative that each person whose name appears on the list of candidates has consented to the nomination.

d) A copy of the registration certificate of the party or organisation concerned certified by the justice of peace or commissioner of oaths; and

e) A photo of the head of the registered political party or organisation/associaiton concerned in the form and colors as may be determined by the Commission.

No, aspiring Independent Candidates can only participate in the Presidential and Regional Council elections as stipulated in the Electoral Act and the Regional Councils Act.

A political party or candidate/organisation/associaiton may not campaign, from midnight, 24 hours before polling day in any election or referendum until polling stations are closed.

On polling day, no party or candidate/organisation/associaiton may convene or hold a public gathering of any kind or canvas for votes at polling stations.

No. Vote buying, coercion and intimidation of voters is an electoral offense and a threat to the integrity of elections and punishable in terms of the Electoral Act. Such actions and activities should be reported to the nearest Police Station.

The duties and functions of Local Authority councils are specified in section 30 of the Local Authorities Act, Act 23 of 1992 as amended and include supply, maintenance, construction and establishing of essential services, systems and resources of or for that area.

The counting of votes commences immediately after the close of the poll at the polling station.

Votes are counted through a manual counting process of each ballot paper which is allocated to a candidate in accordance with the ballot cast by voters at the polling station.

Firstly, ballot papers are sorted to determine the eligibility of the ballot, i.e. if the voter have clearly marked the ballot and the Presiding Officer can with certainty determine for which candidate/political party the ballot is marked. Any ballot paper for which no certainty can be determined will be rejected as provided for in terms of the Electoral Act.

Secondly, valid ballot papers are stacked in bundles per party/candidate/organisation/associaiton.

Thirdly, the total ballot papers cast for each political party/candidate/organisation/associaiton is counted and allocated to the respective political party/candidate.

Regional Council elections are conducted according to the majoritarian or first-past the post electoral system where the candidate with the most votes wins.

The formula used to calculate the number of seats a political party/organisation/associaiton has obtained is based on determining a quota per seat. The quota is obtained by dividing the total number of valid votes counted by the number of seats in the local authority election concerned. To determine the seats for each party, the total votes recorded per political party/organisation are divided by the quota.

For example: The number of votes counted in respect of a Local Authority election is 8350 votes and the local authority has 7 seats on the Council. The quota shall be 8350 divided by 7, equaling 1193 votes per seat. Please take note: some political parties/organisations may not get a seat during the first round when this calculation is done but may get a seat from the second round based on the surplus remaining after the first round of seat allocation.