CNE Says It Has Enough Money For Municipal Elections

CNE Says It Has Enough Money For Municipal Elections

Maputo, 18 Dec (AIM) – The Mozambican electoral authorities have guaranteed that they have raised sufficient funds to cover the costs of the municipal elections scheduled for 11 October next year.

The spokesperson for the National Elections Commission (CNE), Paulo Cuinica, told a Maputo press conference on Friday that the financial deficit has now been overcome, and the CNE can acquire all the equipment necessary and carry out all the activities scheduled up to the end of December.

Earlier in the year, the CNE said it needed 3.2 billion meticais (about 50 million US dollars, at the current exchange rate) for preliminary activities, but was facing a shortfall of 2.2 billion meticais.

But Cuinica claimed that, with the approval by the country’s parliament, the Assembly of the Republic on Thursday, of the state budget for next year, the amount needed to cover the municipal elections is now guaranteed.

The Assembly also amended the electoral law to allow the postponement of the start of voter registration from February to April.

“The initial calendar envisaged voter registration from 20 February to 5 April”, recalled Cuinica, “but with the amendment approved by the Assembly, which approved the government’s proposal, the registration will begin in April”.

The reason given for the change is that February falls within the Mozambican rainy season, which does not end until late March. “It’s very difficult to register voters in this period, because many roads are impassable”, said Cuinica. “So, it’s better to hold the registration outside of the rainy season. That will help in processing the final data from the registration, without constraints”.

The electoral calendar will also be adjusted because a further amendment to the law reduced the time given to political parties to present their candidates. This will give the CNE more time for its internal work. In particular, it will calculate how many seats there will be in each municipal assembly, based on the 2023 registration, with no need to refer to the previous voter registration in 2018.

Cuinica told the reporters that all the election equipment and material has already been ordered and should arrive in January. That will allow the CNE to hold a pilot registration in February.
(AIM)
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