CNE and parties fail to attend debate on election law

Maputo, 11 Apr (AIM) – Mozambique’s leading anti-corruption NGO, the Centre for Public Integrity (CIP), on Thursday attempted to hold a debate in Maputo on the country’s electoral legislation, but neither the electoral bodies nor the political parties represented in the country’s parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, bothered to show up.

The programme for the event announced that representatives of the National Elections Commission (CNE) and of its executive body, the Electoral Administration Technical Secretariat (STAE) would attend. But in the event, they were not present and nor were any of the four parties represented in parliament.

The Executive Director of CIP, Edson Cortez, cited in Friday’s issue of the independent newsheet “Mediafax”, said the purpose of the meeting was to present ideas for possible electoral reforms to the CNE and to the parties.

This would include proposals for changes in the composition of the CNE and STAE, which are currently dominated by the political parties, and particularly by the ruling Frelimo Party. Such changes, said Cortez, are necessary to guarantee greater independence and transparency during elections.

But any changes to the current top-heavy and deeply politicised election system must be approved by parliament – hence the importance of trying to ensure agreement among the parties beforehand.

Cortez lamented the absence of the CNE and of the parties, even though all had recived invitations to the event well in advance. “We hoped that they would say something”, he said, “but we received no reply”.

CIP researcher Lazaro Mabunda told “Mediafax” that the CNE and the political parties had missed an opportunity to present their ideas and influence public opinion.

The CIP consultant on electoral matters, Miguel de Brito, said that proposals debated at the meeting would have been submitted to the CNE and STAE, since these were the bodies that would have to implement any changes to the electoral laws.

“And it is parliament that has to change the law”, he said. The current model, Brito warned, is prone to fraud and to lack of transparency in managing the voter rolls.

Among the many problems with the current legislation is that the entire electorate must be re-registered every five years. The voter cards issued for the 2023 municipal and 2024 general elections are now useless and cannot be used for the next set of elections.

Brito suggested that, rather than re-registering the entire electorate, the voter rolls should simply be updated every year, as happens in most member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

“Instead of registering everybody ever five years”, said Brito, “we should have one brand new registration, which forms the data base, and then every year just add the names of citizens who reach their 18th birthday that year”.
(AIM)
Pf/ (464)