Final day of voter registration – many cannot register | CIP Mozambique Elections

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Final day of voter registration – many cannot register | CIP Mozambique Elections

11:34 CAT | 05 Jun 2023

Illustrative photo. [Screen grab: TVM]

Many citizens will be unable to vote in Sofala, Zambézia and Nampula

Cities and towns in Sofala, Zambézia, Nampula and Niassa which are still recording large crowds and breakdowns of the machines today (Saturday 3 June), the last day of registration. The largest crowds are in Beira and Caia in Sofala; Quelimane and Alto Molocue in Zambezia; Nacala-Port, Angoche and Malema in Nampula; and Cuamba and Mandimba in Niassa.

Nampula: In Nacala, the failure to print cards of voters already registered means more than 2,500 voters have not yet received cards in Nacala-Port. At the registration post in the Naharenque EPC, more than 1,000 voters have not yet received their cards. At Muzuane EPC, with more than 600 cards not printed. These posts still have large crowds of potential voters.

The post at the Mandama EPC, from 07.00 to 12.00 on Saturday only registered 9 voters, and 29 registered at the Niriane EPC. There is a large crowd, not to register, but waiting for their cards at Niriane EPC, because for the past two days there have been no rolls for printing. At the Quissimajulo EPC, more than 650 voters are still waiting for their cards, There are an estimated over 2,500 voters without cards at these posts.

In Angoche, the registration post at the Eduard Mondlane EPC has a large crowd, with voters sitting and waiting to receive tickets on the school patio. Inside the registration room there are about 20 people who have been called in to register. At the Inguri EPC, the Farlahe EPC, the Emopesca EPC, and the Mondlane EPC, the number of voters grows ever larger. The posts are full up, and everybody wants to register. Brigade members are collecting documents from voters to be listed, while others are distributing cards to those who have already registered.

In Malema, also in Nampula, the registration posts at the 19 October EPC and the 25 June EPC, have many people in the queues. The STAE director has allocated an additional Mobile in order to register all the voters by midnight.

Sofala: In Beira, the second machine sent to strengthen the post at the Macarungi EPC has not worked since 10.00 yesterday (2 June) because of a “breakdown”. On the penultimate day of voter registration in Beira, the voters filled the registration posts and some posts closed without many people managing to register. The slowness in attendance concerns the voters. The Macuti EPC post is an example of crowding and slowness.

In the Chipende EPC, on the outskirts of Caia town, Sofala, there is a great flow of potential voters, approximately 150 people. The post at the Amilcar Cabral EPC has a large crowd of potential voters, reaching 200 in the queue. There are many people who may not be registered today. There is disorder in the queues.

The registration post at the Chandimba EPC, in Caia, Sofala, may close before midnight, because of the lack of lighting, the supervisor of the post has confirmed. Registration is taking place without upsets, and there is only a slight demand for registration on the part of potential voters. There are more than 50 voters in the queue.

At the Centro Emissor EPC, Dondo, brigade members are giving documents such as identity cards back to people. They say they should bring witnesses, since they are workers in local companies.

Zambézia: Are voters giving up in Quelimane. The number of potential voters at the registration post in the Aeroporto-Expansao EPC in Quelimane is declining. The causes are the slowness in attendance and a machine breakdown. At 11.00 the machine was no longer printing, but it was expected that the problem would be solved later.

Our correspondents report that potential voters are giving up because they are tired of the enormous queue, and face the problem of outsiders being prioritized in the queue. At that post there are voters who registered two weeks ago, and have not yet picked up their cards. When they arrive, they are told to come back at 17.00 to receive the cards.

A further problem is that the machines did not recognize the fingerprints or the face of an elderly citizen. He gave up. This was the 4th case that happened in this post today.

In Quelimane, at the post in the Coalane School, the machines stopped frequently, which obliged the technical staff to intervene to solve the problems.

At the Joaquim Maquival General Secondary School errors in the system duplicated the printing of cards for each registration. But this error is not preventing the normal operation of the post.

Six of the seven registration posts visited by our correspondents in Milange yesterday, were unable to operate at night, because they had no electricity. Only the post at the 7 April EPC recorded the flow of many citizens, but most of them did not possess identification documents.

The registration posts in the town of Alto Molocue are being badly affected by constant machine breakdowns since yesterday (2 June). For example, the registration post at the Pedreira Alta EPC has a problem with printing voter cards since 09.00 today, 3 June.

In the Alto Molocue Sede EPC there is a huge crowd of people waiting in line. The potential voters complain of slowness on the part of the brigade members, and so the number of people who expect to be left out altogether is becoming ever larger, since people are still arriving.

Hundreds of potential voters, tired of waiting for the repair of the mobile, yesterday (2 June) abandoned the registration post at the Mulutxasse EPC, in Alto Molocue, in Zambezia province. The Mobile broke down and there was no forecast as to when it would be repaired. The post was still awaiting the arrival of the STAE technical staff, who were at another registration post repairing a machine that broke down three days ago. The machines were still out of order by nightfall. Problems also made it impossible to resume registration at the Futuro Melhor EPC. The day ended with just three voters registered on Friday.

On Friday night: Most registration posts open until 10pm, but 1/5 were not working; long queues in many places

Observers found most registration posts open until 22.00 yesterday (Friday 2 June), observing the time extension, but one-fifth were not open or working. Some had long queues and others had no one wanting to register.

In Beira, two registration posts were closed, EPC Comunitária de Vaz and ESG São José, allegedly because the machinery as not working. The post at EP1 e 2 Nhanfula in Guro, Manica, was closed. In Cabo Delgado, registration posts were closed in Mocimboa da Praia, Chíure and Montepuez, but in Pemba they were open and still had queues. Electricity cuts hit posts in Massinga, Inhambane, and Escola Primária do Jardim, Maputo city.

There were long queues in Nacala Porto, Nampula province, and Mocuba, Zambezia, where brigades have been giving tickets for the next day or people leaving ID cards to mark their place, and they are seen first the next day. In Quelimane there were 50 people in the queue at EPC Sinacura at 18.00. Queues were also reported last night in Maputo City, but less in neighbouring Matola.

But in Moatize, Tete, and Guro, Manica there were no queues after dark.

Night opening caused problems in some places because of lack of light. And STAE brought mosquito coils to staff at Ncalane post, in Maputo city.

Mais Integridade civil society observers visited 47 registration posts after 18.00 Friday, of which 9 were closed or not operating – 20%.

Blocking registration of outsiders

Opposition monitors prevented the registration of more than 100 would-be voters at the Ndambine 2000 EPC, in Xai-Xai, Gaza. They are citizens from Chonguene district, specifically from the villages of Chonguene-sede, Maciene and Nhocuene.

These citizens were mobilized by two teachers and the Frelimo Party Secretary. The group consisted of young students.

The Renamo Provincial Delegate, Lopes Alfredo, denounced the registration of 30 students from Maciene, Chonguene district. Renamo only discovered this when the fifth person was already being registered. When they saw that they were suspected, the students disappeared and it is believed that they went to other posts. Present at the place was the MDM provincial delegate with his members, because they too had been informed about voters from Maciene.

On Friday, other registration posts, namely Fidel Castro and Muhetane neighbourhood 4, closed before 22.00, because no voters were present and there were lighting problems.

Renamo sues three supervisors in Morrumbala. They are brigade members Leia Alberto, Albert Americo Lisboa and Paulo Caetano Nassape, of the Ngoni EPC, Fraqueza and Aeroporto registration posts respectively. They are all accused of facilitating the registration of Frelimo voters coming from non-municipal areas. The trial was scheduled for this Friday (2 June), but was delayed.

On the same day, opposition monitors frustrated an attempt to register citizens from the neighbouring districts of Mopeia and Derre.

All were to have been registered in the Fraqueza and Aeroporto EPs. The list of “priority” public administration functionaries came from Sabe, Pinda and Muandiua localities and from the Chire and Megaza administrative posts.

In Marromeu, Renamo accused Frelimo of transporting citizens from Inhaminga and Muanza districts, in Sofala, and from Luabo, in Zambezia, to register in that municipality. This happened on Friday (2 June)

The Renamo district delegate, Fernando Quembo, says that on various occasions they caught train carriages full of Frelimo militants. They were coming to register in that municipal area. By way of example, recently 30 passengers on a boat from Luabo, were intercepted by the Renamo and MDM monitors when they were attempting to register in the posts at the Julius Nyerere, 25 June and 4 October schools, under the eyes of STAE agents and the police.

The STAE director says that he has not yet received any formal protest, other than a complaint he heard from members of the political parties in the region. In recent days, the attendance of voters at some posts has been noteworthy, but the district guarantees it will meet its registration target.

Other news from our correspondents

The municipality of Homoine, in Inhambane province, has managed to register 3,800 voters more than the 11,728 voting age adults as determined by the National Statistics Institute (INE) of voters. According to the data provided by the Homoine STAE district director, Isac Augusto,15,532 citizens have registered, which is 132% of voting age adults. However, at the level of the district, the forecast is far from being reached. For the district, the target of 66,383 citizens has not yet been reached. By 27 May, 43,809 citizens were registered, which is 65.99%.

According to the STAE district director of Manica town, Roberto Luis, by this Friday (2 June), 36,800 potential voters had been registered which is 94% of voting age adults. Roberto Luis also said that, judging by the crowds in recent days, the registration will indeed be extended on the final day to zero hours. However, in the entire district, 89,756 people have been registered, which is 87%.

Large attendance at some posts in Matola: Brigade 1222, which works at the 4 October EPC, in Intaka neighbourhood, was deserted during the day yesterday (2 June). By 17.00, 40 voters had registered, but by 21.45 the number rose to 152, a record since the start of registration.

Brigade 216, stationed at the Matlemele Secondary School, in the neighbourhood of the same name, began to see significant attendance as from 17.30. By then 75 voters had registered, and by 21.04 the number had risen to 107 voters.

Brigade 119, located at Cajueiro, in the 1st May neighbourhood, had registered 168 voters by 22.12. At all these posts, the political party monitors were absent.

Post closed at 18.00 in Manica: Our correspondents visited the Sussundenga ESG registration post at 19.00 and found the doors closed. The policeman who guards the equipment said the brigade members closed the post at about 18.00 because there were no voters to register. The registration posts at the 1 June EPC and at Unidade were open, but had no voters.

Source: Centro de Integridade Pública - CIP