CIP Mozambique Elections: Frelimo controls polling stations; teacher Adão; under pressure in Alto Molocue & other news

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CIP Mozambique Elections: Frelimo controls polling stations; teacher Adão; under pressure in Alto Molocue & other news

2:29 CAT | 23 Sep 2024

Image: CIP Eleições

STAE admits Frelimo illegally choosing polling station staff & trainers

But STAE stopped a just one training session

Frelimo will again illegally control many polling stations, giving it power to manipulate results. In many places trainers and polling station staff (MMVs) have simply been selected by Frelimo, which sent lists to STAE (Electoral Administration Technical Secretariat). In a token admission that this is happening, on Friday (18 September) national STAE in Maputo admitted the problem and cancelled the Quelimane training of trainers next week. Outside trainers will be used instead.

Too late to cancel selection of trainers and MMVs for the 9 October election. This means many, perhaps most, polling station staff are again being selected and trained by Frelimo. This occurred in last year’s municipal election, and the law had to be changed to bar some of Frelimo’s tricks, notably delaying the count or the writing of the results sheets (editais) so that they results could be changed later in secret. But Frelimo trainers will explain how to bypass the new law.

How Frelimo took control

Each polling station has seven staff. The four most important – president (returning officer), vice president, secretary, and first scrutineer – must by law be non-partisan and chosen by public competition. One each of the remaining three, who cannot hold these top posts, is chosen by the parties in parliament – Frelimo, Renamo, and MDM.

But it became clear, even last year, that in many places, no one was selected without connections with Frelimo. Some were selected to be trainers and MMVs without even being interviewed. That means that in nearly all districts, the polling station is politicised, and of the seven MMVs, five are from Frelimo and only two are from the opposition.

These are paid posts and excluded candidates complained. This bulletin, CIP Eleições, investigated (see CIP Eleições 287, 294 and 295) and found that the open competition had been captured and replaced by Frelimo sending lists to district STAEs of teachers, school directors, nurses, and police whose jobs depend on being members of Frelimo. In nearly all districts, of the seven MMVs in a polling station, five will be from Frelimo and only two from the opposition.

The same has happened with trainers, who are also supposed to be non-partisan and selected by open competition, but are now named by Frelimo on lists sent to STAE. The Quelimane training session cancellation was the first and only recognition of this.

Last year, CIP Eleições reported that there was in circulation a printed booklet listing all Matola city MMVs and their Frelimo position. In a brazen show of power, Frelimo did not even try to keep it secret. (see Bulletin 145)

Comment:

In early elections teachers were good MMVs, but not now

In the early multiparty elections 1994 and 1999 the choice of teachers to be senior polling station officials was a good idea. They were educated and had experience running classes, at a time when there were relatively few literate people for those jobs, and most did a good and neutral job. And it was accepted that teachers would have to miss two weeks of classes for training.

In the 1999 election staff were too neutral and Renamo’s Afonso Dhlaka probably won – and central STAE computer staff were sent to the provinces to change the results. Then President Armando Guebuza (2004-2013) politicised the civil service. Promotion and later most jobs required being in Frelimo. Education has been the worst, completely captured by party activists, who are forced to abandon schools not just for training, but in this election, compulsory participation in the Frelimo campaign. This is leading to closed and partially closed schools for most of September.

Because party loyalty overrides good teaching, education quality has fallen. Health is the one sector which has maintained a skilled and committed leadership and cadre, which has prevented the party takeover.

District Director of Education in Massinga threatens head of school secretariat

Known as “teacher Adão”, he is head of the secretariat (manager) at the Mulovecua Basic School, in Massinga, Inhambane. He was threatened by the district director of education, Alberto Macamo, because he refused to campaign in support of the Frelimo Party and the conversation was recorded It took place in the office of the district director of education. CIP Eleições has confirmed its authenticity.

Macamo reminded Adão that he holds the post of head of the secretariat thanks to Frelimo, which trusted him. It is therefore his duty to campaign in support of the party. The head of the secretariat refused to campaign and was threatened with demotion. In response, Adão told the district director that he was prepared to be demoted. He accepted the consequences of his decision and declared that he is a teacher by training, and that he would have no problem in returning to the classroom.

But Adão backed down. In a new recording, teacher Adão, said it wasn’t he who taped the talk but “someone of bad faith who is trying to stain the image of the director”.

He recognises the authenticity of the recording but says “it is incomplete and edited”. And he apologised: “I want to say that the director has no blame for all that happened. It’s a thing that somebody programmed to damage the image of director Macamo”. Teacher Adão says he is now, of his own free will, “campaigning in support of Frelimo Party”

Public employees under pressure

In Alto Molocué district, Zambézia, staff of the public administration who occupy management positions are receiving threats of demotion, should Frelimo lose the elections of 9 October. The threats are made at meetings called for this purpose. Most of the victims are teachers from the Teacher Training Institute and from the Polytechnic Institute of Human Sciences of Moçambique (IPCHM).

The threat is leading the teachers to abandon their classes and spend their time on the Frelimo election campaign instead. In Alto Molocué any public employee who refuses to join the election campaign is accused of being a member of the opposition.

In discussion with some students of the Alto Molocue General Secondary School, we learned that, since the start of the election campaign, classes have been half-hearted, due to the frequent absence of the teachers.

Other news

Voter cards exchanged for Frelimo T-shirts. In Nicoadala district, in Zambézia, Frelimo members are collecting voter cards from citizens in exchange for party T-shirts and cap. This accusation was made by members of the party and confirmed by the CIP Eleições. The collection of cards has been under way since last week at the home of a Frelimo member, named Felizardo, located in the Sividinho neighbourhood, as can be seen in this video.

Two MDM members brutally attacked in Dondo. The assault happened last Tuesday afternoon (17 September) in the Munhonha neighbourhood, very near the Frelimo Party headquarters.

The two youths (a woman and a man) were wearing MDM T-shirts, when they crossed paths with group of Frelimo members. The clash sparked off confusion which resulted in physical assaults. According to the MDM spokesperson in Dondo, José Domingos Mbae, the MDM members were attacked when they were walking home from the election campaign. The male victim was discharged from hospital on Wednesday morning, but the woman remains hospitalised in the Mafambisse health post.

The police this morning confirmed the incident and said efforts are under way to arrest the attackers and bring them to justice.

Institutions paralysed for 3 days in Tambara, Manica. Public employees have been working on the visit of Esperança Bias, head of the Frelimo Party central brigade in the province. On Sunday (15 September), the staff were summoned by telephone to be present at the reception for Esperança Bias, speaker of parliament.

“Good morning. I would like to inform you that tomorrow we will have a meeting with Comrade Esperança Bias, at 14.00, in the conference room of the Frelimo Party. The meeting is with all the staff”, reads the note sent to school directors in Tambara district, and to teachers and technical staff, particularly from the District Education, Youth and Technology Service.

In addition, teachers in some Tambara schools are denouncing the listing of their names, as well as the obligation to surrender their voter cards, to write down the numbers on the party’s list.

Using the campaign for circumcision. In Sanga district, in Niassa, classes in the schools in three communities visited, namely the EPC-Vicente Calichelo, the Nansenhenje Basic School and the Ngogote School, have only a small number of children present. Most of the children are undergoing circumcision (Unhago). The Government has ordered the detention of the parents for this decision. Furthermore, some staff and teachers are undergoing training for the election bodies, and others are on the election campaign.

Public vehicle on the campaign. In Caia, Sofala province, the vehicle of the central regional branch of the INGD, with the number plate EAC848-MP, is being used for the Frelimo Party election campaign. At 10.00 on Wednesday (18 September) the driver was wearing a jacket, T-shirt and cap of the Frelimo Party and its presidential candidate Daniel Chapo.

Source: CIP Eleições