Mozambique: Civil society was not prepared to observe voter registration, says STAE director general

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Mozambique: Civil society was not prepared to observe voter registration, says STAE director general

2:07 CAT | 18 Jun 2019

Felisberto Naife. Photo: Notícias

Civil society organisations were not adequately prepared to observe the voter registration process that ended on May 30, according to Felisberto Naife, director general of the Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration (STAE), Notícias reports.

Naife deplored the attitudes shown by determined civil society organisations which, in his words, rather than helping, create an atmosphere of distrust regarding the electoral bodies.

“We have been working with civil society organisations, many of which have entered into partnership agreements with us, collaborative and information-sharing agreements throughout the process, but at some point we feel that these organisations do not live up to the spirit of the agreements signed, surprising us with information directly conveyed in the media, some of which could have been explained before [publication],” Naife said.

Naife welcomed the fact that civil society organisations participated for the first time as observers of the electoral census that ended recently, but indicated that they were not adequately prepared to carry out their mission, as regards the training on what they would find on the ground, how [voter registration] brigades were organised, and other crucial aspects.

“We have a larger number of posts and a set number of brigades. Some brigades have to operate more than one post. If an observer throws him or herself into the field without knowing the number of posts, logically he or she might think that the posts are not working, or were not set up. There is a mobility plan drawn up by the district and provincial STAE to cover the number of posts on the ground. It is a lesson that I think they should learn, to [make sure that they] know what is happening and what is arranged in technical terms,” Naife explained.

According to Naife, in the same way that they have experience in voting observation, civil society organisations should also prepare better to be able to understand the course of procedure of the entire electoral process at all levels, namely its organisation.

Source: Noticias