Mozambique Elections: Director orders a block on information in Matutuine

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Mozambique Elections: Director orders a block on information in Matutuine

7:23 CAT | 24 Feb 2023

in file CoM

The STAE district director in Matutuine has banned brigade members from sharing information about the pilot registration with the CIP correspondents, on the rounds that “they might give the wrong information”. CIP’s “Bulletin on the Political Process in Mozambique: Elections 2023/2024” is the only one of the Mozambican media covering the pilot registration.

In compliance with the orders of the STAE district director, the brigade members at the registration post set up at the Mungazi EPC refused to give any kind of information to CIP, claiming they had received “higher orders” not to provide any information.

Matutuine is the first, and only one, of the six districts we are covering to limit access to information about the pilot registration. This could be a bad sign for journalistic coverage of the full voter registration due to begin on 20 April.

The director’s order violates the Freedom of Information Law (Law No. 34/2014), particularly the principles of maximum publicity, transparency, democratic participation, open public administration, and the obligatory nature of publication (Articles 6 to 12). According to the Freedom of Information Law, the exercise of the right to information includes the facility of requesting, seeking, consulting, receiving and divulging information of public interest in the possession of the bodies cited by Article 3 of the same law. Article 3 states that this law applies to the organs and institutions of the State, of the direct and indirect Administration, State representation abroad, and the municipalities, as well as to the private bodies which, under law or contract, undertake activities of public interest, or which, in their activities, benefit from any type of public resource, and which have in their possession information of public interest.

Article 18 fixes the mechanisms by which information can be made available to the public. According to this legal provision, the right to information may be expressed through:

a) making it available orally, in written form, or by gesture

b) reproduction of documents;

c) authenticated declaration, issued by the services;

d) free consultation of the case, on the premises of the respective services;

e) issuing of certificates.

The restrictions and limitations on access to information are defined by Article 20, and information on voter registration is not among the information subject to restrictions.

Source: CIP - Centro de Integridade Pública