By: Rodney Pienaar
Swapo party secretary general, Sophia Shaningwa has said she wants the internal elections of the party to go smoothly without any distraction.
She said this at the official opening of the training of national leaders and regional leadership workshop in Windhoek this week.
“We must ensure that we run a smooth election in a mature considerate and inclusive manner. Any member or cadre found to deviate from the norm will individually be held accountable. No comrade with direct interest in elections should be appointed to run such elections.”
“My office will require reports of these appointment of election committees in the form of signed minutes. It is important that reports and minutes of elections should be forwarded to the office of regional coordinators,” said Shaningwa.
Shaningwa also said that the election committee appointed by the organs shall have exclusive authority to direct, supervise and control in a free, fair and impartial manner any elections held by any structure of the party.
“The election committee is headed by a returning officer who may appoint such other additional staff as he or she deems necessary to assist him or her in the work of the committee. The returning officer and committee entrusted to oversee the election must ensure fairness and transparency.”
“National leaders assigned to regions, it is your constitutional right to look after regions of the Swapo party and provide guidance to the regional leadership in consultation with the regional coordinators. I would like to remind you that this year is an election year and we must ensure that Swapo party should win with landslide victory,” she said.
Shaningwa advises regional leaders to have meetings in the regions of assignments as some have failed to do so.
“It is disturbing that some of the national leaders assigned did not yet have a meeting in their regions of assignments. This is about us as a party and it is our aim to win the coming National Assembly and Presidential elections as expected by the membership. Let us start to engage, let us visit our regions of assignments,” she said.
