afrol News, 3 March - The Namibian High court is expected to give its verdict on the application by nine opposition parties contesting last year's election results which gave President Hifikepunye Pohamba's party a landslide victory. The nine parties are seeking nullification of the outcome of last year’s general elections.

The High Court Judge reserved the ruling on Tuesday after listening to lawyers from all the concerned parties.

Thirteen lawyers representing nine opposition parties launched an application in the high court last December calling for an audit of the election results, which was granted.

The audit included the recount of ballot papers, rejected ballots, reconciling cast votes with counterfoils and auditing other election materials like the voter's roll.

The issue of the use of verification centres in last year’s polls enjoyed adequate attention yesterday, with ECN lawyers referring the judges to the amendments made last year to the Electoral Act of 1992, that empower presiding officers of constituencies to verify results before passing them over to the director of elections for final announcement.

The new amendments also empower returning officers at polling stations to count results from such stations and pass them over to presiding officers of the constituencies, who would then verify them before final announcement, Maleka said.

He added that political party agents were integral to the process and their right to object to any practices by the ECN during the election process was active throughout.

A total of 13 opposition parties contested the legislative and presidential elections on November 27 and 28.

The ruling South West Africa People's Organisation (Swapo), in power since independence in 1990, won more than 75 percent of the vote.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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