Presidente da Comissão Nacional de Eleições, Dom Carlos Matsinhe
Maputo, 27 Aug (AIM) – Mozambique’s National Elections Commission (CNE) on Saturday challenged electoral civic education agents to disseminate positive awareness-raising messages in order to reduce the levels of abstention in the municipal elections scheduled for 11 October.
The CNE Chairperson, Bishop Carlos Matsinhe, threw down this challenge during the official launch of the Electoral Civic Education Campaign, in Massingir district, in the southern province of Gaza. The Campaign will run from 26 August to 24 September.
“The participation of all Mozambicans must be a challenge and a commitment to the homeland, because the level of abstentions in recent elections has been a major concern”, said Matsinhe. “In these elections there should be no abstentions. All Mozambicans with the right to vote and to be elected can participate”.
Around 3,500 civic education agents have been hired. Matsinhe said these agents should go door to door, to the markets and other public places and take with them informative and educational messages about the importance of citizen participation in the approaching elections.
According to Matsinhe, the civic education agents must clearly inform citizens about the value of their vote and encourage them to participate with civility and maturity and without violence.
Data from the Electoral Administration Technical Secretariat (STAE), drawn from the voter registration that took place from 20 April to 3 June, indicates that 8,387,583 voters were registered in the 65 municipalities, which was 84.91 per cent of the target figure.
The projections made by the National Statistics Institute (INE) indicated a potential municipal electorate of 9,921,625 voters.
(AIM)
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