Eleicoes autarquicas, votacao. Foto Arquivo
Maputo, 8 Oct (AIM) – The Mozambican election observation coalition of civil society organisations, known as “Mais Integridade” (“More Integrity”), has pledged that it will observe Wednesday’s general elections in all of the country’s 161 districts.
A “Mais integridade” press release, issued on Tuesday, says that it will deploy 1,900 observers.
The attempt to prevent the coalition from observing the elections in the central province of Zambezia appears to have been aborted after legal intervention.
“Mais Integridade” submitted requests for 279 observers in Zambezia, but by Saturday it had only received 45 credentials.
“The chairperson of the Zambezia Provincial Elections Commission (CPE), Emílio M’paga Supelo, claims logistical difficulties in issuing the credentials and does not guarantee that by the date of the vote, all of the Consortium’s observers will have been accredited. This violates what is stated in the electoral legislation on the matter, which stipulates a deadline of five days from the date of receipt for the Provincial Electoral Commission to decide on the request for observer status”, said a weekend note from “Mais Integridade”.
The threat of legal action worked. According to a Tuesday report on the independent television station STV, all the credentials have now been issued, after intervention by the Provincial Attorney’s Office.
The coalition’s Tuesday release says the observers will assess whether the choices made by the voters are respected and whether the elections are run in accordance with Mozambican legislation, and with the international undertakings accepted by the country.
The consortium urged the voters “don’t let anyone decide for you. Tomorrow (Wednesday), early in the morning, with your voter card in your hand, go to your polling station to decide who you want as President of the Republic, as parliamentary deputies and as members of the Provincial Assembly”.
It called on the election management bodies “to act with independence, impartiality, transparency, professionalism and responsibility, obeying only the dictates of the Constitution and of the Law, so as to guarantee the integrity and credibility of the election and its results”.
The unbiased and professional behavior of the National Elections Commission (CNE), of the Election Administration Technical Secretariat (STAE) and of all polling station staff “is of great importance to guarantee that everyone can vote freely and that the results faithfully reflect the will of the electorate”, the consortium declared.
The police, it added, should also act “with impartiality and professionalism, in strict compliance with the law”.
It warned against excessive use of force, and intimidation of voters, political party monitors, journalists and observers, as has happened in previous elections. The police, it says, “should comply with its mission to serve the State and only the state”.
“Mais Integridade” urged the competing candidates and parties “to refrain from any appeal to violence, and from acts that interfere in the conduct of peaceful. honest and credible elections”.
They should not spread disinformation about the results, it added, and “should use all the legal channels available to solve any election disputes”.
As for the mass media, the consortium urged it to provide the public with “objective, credible and timely information”. The role of the media and of journalists “is crucial for taking the truth to the entire country and the world, contributing to honest and peaceful elections”.
(AIM)
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