Maputo, 27 Apr (AIM) – Mozambique’s National Elections Commission (CNE) and the “More Integrity” consortium of civil society organisations on Thursday signed in Maputo a memorandum of understanding in which they pledged to work together to promote an environment of greater respect for political diversity, free of conflicts, during the 2023 municipal and 2024 general elections.
Signing the memorandum were the Chairperson of the CNE, Bishop Carlos Matsinhe, and the director of the Centre for Public Integrity (CIP), Edson Cortez, who also chairs the “More Integrity” consortium.
Matsinhe explained that, with this instrument, “More Integrity” has right of access to all aspects of the elections it needs to know, and to support the electoral bodies so that integrity is ever more visible in their work.
“Also the electoral bodies have the right to interact with ‘More Integrity’, in the sense of providing correct information which should be publicized, and to undertake actions which represent the core of what is happening within the process”, he said.
The memorandum establishes the principles and reference points for the interaction and form of work between the two institutions. Thus “More Integrity”, in the light of this memorandum, promises to undertake election observation and advocacy in order to encourage Mozambicans to take part in the elections.
“For us, this is a very important opportunity to work with the electoral bodies, more specifically with the CNE, to try to assist in a constructive and collaborative manner so that, at the end of this electoral cycle, we can make a positive assessment, an assessment that is beneficial to all stakeholders, and to all Mozambicans”, said Edson Cortez.
The consortium, which will observe the elections throughout the country, consists of seven civil society organisations – namely CIP, the Mozambican chapter of MISA (Media Institute of Southern Africa), the Episcopal Commission of the Catholic Church, the Civil Society Learning and Training Centre (CESC), Solidarity of Mozambique, the Forum of Associations of Disabled People (FAMOD), and NAFEZA (Nucleus of Women’s Associations of Zambezia).
The consortium was set up in 2022, with the fundamental goal of contributing to the transparency and integrity of the 2023 and 2024 elections. It hopes to produce credible public information and analyses about the various phases of the elections, encouraging the participation of citizens and contributing to the reduction of electoral tensions.
(AIM)
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