All in readiness for Nampula by-election – AIM report

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All in readiness for Nampula by-election – AIM report

8:48 CAT | 22 Jan 2018

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Mozambique’s National Elections Commission (CNE) says that everything is ready for a successful mayoral by-election in the northern city of Nampula on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters in Nampula on Sunday, CNE deputy chairperson, Antonio Chipanga, said there will be 401 polling stations in 54 polling assemblies (mostly schools). 3,088 people are expected to work at the polling stations.

The three main political parties – the ruling Frelimo Party, the rebel movement Renamo and the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM) – will be represented at each of the polling stations by two monitors. The two minor parties competing were unable to provide their full quota of monitors – there will be 523 from AMUSI (United Action Movement for Complete Salvation), and 158 from PAHUMO (Mozambique Humanitarian Party).

Chipanga added that the CNE has accredited 1,077 national and foreign observers. “The entire election is being carefully followed”, he said. “The voters can be calm”.

He warned that all participants must comply with the electoral legislation. That included the voters themselves, who must leave the vicinity of the polling stations immediately after casting their ballots. Clearly the CNE does not want a repeat of scenes from the 2014 general election where opposition parties urged their supporters to stay at the polling stations “to control the vote”, leading to clashes with the police.

Bras Meque, a CNE member appointed by Renamo, said the CNE has reached an agreement with the electricity company, EDM, which has emergency generators on stand-by, in the event of any power cut.

In addition, the kits distributed to the polling stations contain oil lamps and battery powered torches “because we are covering all possibilities”, he said.

The election campaign ended on Sunday. No campaigning is allowed in the 48 hours prior to the vote – those two quiet days are supposed to give the voters a chance to reflect upon the manifestos proposed by the competing candidates.

All three main parties brought heavyweights to Nampula for the final weekend of campaigning.

For Frelimo, General Secretary Roque Silva, at the party’s closing rally, said that the main task of Nampula citizens is to carry the Frelimo mayoral candidate, Amisse Cololo, to victory.

“It’s not enough just to want to win”, said Silva. “All those who have voter cards should go to the polling stations and vote for Cololo”.

Cololo himself promised “inclusive governance aimed at the well-being of municipal citizens”.

Surrounded by members of the Frelimo Political Commission (including the speaker of parliament, Veronica Macamo, the head of the Frelimo parliamentary group, Margarida Talapa, former general secretary Manuel Tome, and former finance minister Tomas Salomao) Cololo said his election manifesto had been enriched by contributions from the voters, but the main problems facing the city remained sanitation, water supply, health, education and public safety.

MDM leader Daviz Simango headed his party’s campaign at the weekend, urging voters to turn out en masse to elect the MDM candidate, Carlos Saide, mayor.

It has been raining heavily in northern Mozambique, and Simango urged the voters not to stay at home should it rain again on Wednesday. “It might rain, but go there and mark your ballot paper”, he declared. “We want to rely on you all. When you leave here each of you should mobilise your neighbours to vote for Carlos Saide”.

Renamo general secretary Manuel Bissopo and the head of the Renamo parliamentary group, Ivone Soares, were in Nampula at the weekend to urge the electorate to vote for Renamo candidate Paulo Vahanle.

Pleased at the size of the crowd for his last rally, Vahanle said “I’m optimistic. This mass of people shows the will of Nampula citizens to see me as mayor. People are tired and want to see their problems solved”.

Source: AIM