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Two legal documents made public this week will definitely bring more blame on the Election Commission of Namibia and its supposed impartiality and influence future elections held under its authority. On Tuesday, the High Court published the arguments of its Court order ordering the ECN to recount the ballot papers of the November 2004 parliamentary elections. The arguments were not ready last month. The 3 judges clearly pointed fingers many times at the ECN in the 100-page documents, clearly saying it failed its duties and the provisions of the Electoral Act and should be more careful, professional and efficient in future elections. It can only be hoped that Cabinet takes this judgement very seriously and revamps the ECN.

On Wednesday then Republican party released its application filed on 15 April in the High Court asking for new elections, as the recount done last month did no follow the Electoral Act. The document could only be released once all respondents were served with the court order. In the application filed by Carola Engelbrecht, secretary general of the RP in over 25 pages submitted discrepancies during the recounting process, that ballot boxes were removed by the police during the recount, which were not even counted. She also alleged that some 97 600 ballots were not handled and allocated properly which called for a nullification of the March 2005 results (from the recount) and that new elections should take place.