
Eleicoes autarquicas, votacao. Foto de Ferhat Momade
Maputo, 12 Mar (AIM) – The European Union (EU) has disbursed over one million dollars to support the Mozambican presidential, parliamentary and provincial elections scheduled for 9 October,
The amount in total is 1,098,500 dollars. To this end, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the EU signed a partnership agreement in Maputo, under the project “Strengthening Democracy and Electoral Processes in Mozambique”, which will run until December 2025.
According to a joint statement, the agreement aims to contribute to strengthening democracy in Mozambique in general, with particular emphasis on the context of the October elections, including the post-election period.
“With this contribution from the European Union, in addition to other partners, namely the governments of Norway, Canada, Spain, Germany and the UNDP, the project ‘Strengthening Democracy and Electoral Processes in Mozambique’ will continue to implement activities in four strategic areas”, reads the statement.
In addition to strengthening the technical capacities of the main electoral actors, namely the National Elections Commission (CNE), its executive body, the Electoral Administration Technical Secretariat (STAE), the Mozambican Police (PRM), and Civil Society Organizations, the amount will also increase transparency in the elections, through greater public disclosure and sharing of information by the electoral management bodies with the electorate.
The funding is also intended to improve the planning of operations during the electoral cycle, including crisis management to cope with such events as natural disasters, security threats and political violence, as well as the effectiveness and transparency of electoral dispute resolution mechanisms, through technical assistance to the Constitutional Council, the CNE and the Supreme Court.
The EU Ambassador to Mozambique, Antonino Maggiore, cited in the document, said that the partnership will ensure technical support for the Mozambican bodies in charge of electoral organization and management so that they can to fulfill their mandate more effectively.
For his part, the UNDP’s resident representative in Mozambique, Edo Stork, stressed that the support aims to promote the participation of vulnerable and marginalized groups, including gender equality in democratic procedures, while respecting the principles of inclusion, integrity, transparency and credibility.
“It is fundamental to involve citizens in democratic processes with the aim of achieving full adherence to the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030”, he declared.
Building on previous electoral support (2018 to 2020), the project has been developed on the basis of a formal request from the government, the recommendation of the Needs Assessment Mission (NAM) conducted by the United Nations in April 2021, and the reports of international electoral observers on the 2019 general elections.
The project is also aligned with the UNDP Country Programme Document and the Government of Mozambique’s Five-Year Programme for 2020-2024.
(AIM)
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