Mozambique: EU and Austrian Development Cooperation provide tents for polling stations in Idai-affected areas – AIM

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Mozambique: EU and Austrian Development Cooperation provide tents for polling stations in Idai-affected areas – AIM

10:38 CAT | 14 Oct 2019

File photo: EEAS EUROPA.EU

The European Union and Austrian Development Cooperation have provided 265,000 euros (about 293,000 US dollars) to acquire 120 tents which will be used as polling stations in parts of central Mozambique that were affected by cyclone Idai in March.

According to an EU press release, the tents have been acquired locally, and delivered to Mozambique’s Election Administration Technical Secretariat (STAE), which is responsible for election logistics.

During Mozambican elections, polling stations are set up in school classrooms wherever possible. But many schools in Sofala, Manica, Zambezia and Tete were severely damaged by cyclone Idai. The tents will thus replace classrooms in those areas where they are still not in usable condition.

The release says the decision by the EU and Austrian Cooperation “seeks to contribute to the efforts of the National Elections Commission (CNE) and STAE to ensure that all Mozambican voters have the opportunity to make their democratic choice on 15 October, despite the negative impacts of climate change”.

After the elections, the tents will pass into the hands of the Mozambican government’s relief agency, the National Disaster Management Institute (INGC), for use in future emergency situations.

Source: AIM