Namibia’s Electoral Commission Seeks N$647.8 Million Budget for 2025/2026 Financial Year
The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) has tabled a budget of N$647.8 million for the 2025/2026 financial year, a 1.5% increase from the previous year’s allocation of N$637.9 million. The budget, presented by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, on April 29, 2025, in Windhoek, aims to cater for the day-to-day business and electoral operations of the commission.
Breakdown of the Budget
The proposed budget is allocated as follows:
- Personnel expenditure: N$69.3 million (10.7% of the total budget)
- Non-personnel expenditure: N$578.5 million (89.3% of the total budget)
The non-personnel expenditure will cover the costs of conducting elections, voter registration, and civic education, as well as the procurement of goods and services.
Programmes and Activities
The ECN has outlined three key programmes for the 2025/2026 financial year:
- Elections Administration: N$493.9 million (76.2% of the total budget) will be allocated for this programme, which will cover the costs of conducting elections, including by-elections, and facilitating voter participation.
- Voter and Civic Education: N$25.6 million (4% of the total budget) will be allocated for this programme, which aims to conduct civic and voter education as part of the voter awareness campaign.
- Policy Coordination, Supervision, and Support Services: N$58.9 million (9.1% of the total budget) will be allocated for this programme, which will cover the costs of procurement of goods and services, including property and equipment rental, utilities, and licence renewals.
Key Activities
The ECN plans to conduct the following key activities during the 2025/2026 financial year:
- Conduct country-wide voter education campaigns and supplementary registration of voters
- Deploy additional teams to ensure maximum reach of all eligible voters during the supplementary registration of voters
- Procure additional mobile voters registration kits and accessories
- Recruit, train, and deploy approximately 17,000 election officials
- Conduct by-elections in five constituencies (Grootfontein, Otjiwarongo, Kamanjab, Sesfontein, and Kabbe South)
Challenges and Mitigation Strategies
The ECN has identified the ability to secure adequate transport for the deployment of teams as a recurring challenge during national elections. To mitigate this, the budget makes provision for the procurement of 36 vehicles to supplement the commission’s fleet.
Conclusion
The ECN has requested the National Assembly to approve the budget of N$647.8 million for the 2025/2026 financial year. The commission believes that this budget will enable it to effectively conduct the regional councils and local authorities elections, as well as other electoral activities, and ensure the integrity of the electoral process in Namibia.
