Beira (Mozambique), 6 Oct (AIM) – The Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), the country’s second largest opposition party, has claimed that the voter roll in the central city of Beira has been illicitly altered, by adding new names after the period for voter registration had ended.
The municipal elections, in all 65 municipalities, are scheduled for 11 October, and the entire municipal electorate was registered between 20 April and 3 June.
But at a Beira press conference on Thursday, Jose Domingos, a member of the MDM Political Commission, displayed copies of registration books, which include the names of people registered after the cut-off date of 3 June, among other irregularities.
“Some voters whose names are in these books did not register physically in Beira”, he accused. “Their data, including their photographs, were collected, and later voter cards were issued for them here in Beira. Right now, as I am speaking to you, some of them are receiving these cards in the Beira Health Sciences Institute”.
Domingos added that, in this institute, polling station staff (MMVs) are being trained. They are mostly teachers, and they are being separated from other MMVs
“Clandestine separation in the training of the MMVs is illegal, because all the parties with seats in parliament should be trained in the same room”, said Domingos. “We are watching this very closely”.
There should be seven MMVs per polling station. Four should be selected by the Electoral Administration Technical Secretariat (STAE) through normal State recruitment procedures. But the other three are appointed by the three Parliamentary parties (the ruling Frelimo Party, and the opposition Renamo and MDM).
Domingos accused the Beira city branch of STAE, in collusion with the Sofala Provincial STAE, of responsibility for tampering with the voter roll by adding new names to the registration books.
He added that some people, including teachers and nurses, are being brought from districts where there are no municipalities into the city in order to vote in Beira on 11 October.
The people ferried in from other districts are being accommodated in private homes, some hotels and even professional training institutes, he said,
Domingos said that the names added fraudulently appear in the final registration books. But these books also include voters who were registered in May, and Domingos pointed out it makes no sense for their names to appear in the final book.
There are a total of 33 registration books where the MDM suspects that names have been added after the close of registration.
Domingos noted that the voter cards issued illegally possess no electronic chip, which should help MDM members to identify them.
“We have already lodged our complaint with the relevant bodies”, he added.
(AIM)
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