Police detain MMVs in Nampula

Maputo, 8 Oct (AIM) – The Mozambican Police (PRM) on Monday detained, in the northern city of Nampula city, several polling station staff (MMVs) who will be working on Wednesday’s presidential, parliamentary and provincial elections.

The MMVs allegedly created disorder while demanding allowances that the election bodies owe them as a result of the training that they attended on electoral issues. The MMV carried out a peaceful demonstration protesting against the alleged non-payment of the allowances for training days.

The MMVs claim that during the two-week training they were not given “any snacks or water by the election bodies.” They also claim that the allowance of 4,000 meticais (about 63 US dollars) that will be paid after the vote “is derisory.”

According to Tuesday’s issue of the independent newsheet ‘Carta de Moçambique”, police officers opened fire and detained those who were supposedly causing disturbances.

Luís Cavalo, the Nampula director of the Electoral Administration Technical Secretariat (STAE), claimed that, despite the demonstrations, the preparations for Wednesday’s election, are going ahead

“The claim does not affect the process. Polling station staff knew the amounts to be paid long before their contracts were signed”, he said. ‘I don’t see any reason for protests, since everything was made clear at the start”.

About 2,000 MMVs, in Ka Mavota municipal district, in Maputo city, are also protesting against the allowances stipulated by STAE for these general elections.

The MMVs warn that since the amount is small, they may be vulnerable to manipulation. They want the allowance increased to over 8,000 meticais.
(AIM)
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