Nyusi concerned at low voter registration

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Nyusi concerned at low voter registration

9:27 CAT | 30 Apr 2018

O País

Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Friday deplored the poor turnout at voter registration posts in Maputo province, and called for this scenario to be reversed.

Addressing a rally in Intaka neighbourhood, in the city of Matola, Nyusi said it was worrying that so far less than 40 per cent of the estimated electorate in the province has registered ahead of the municipal elections scheduled for 10 October.

The voter registration began on 19 March and will end on 17 May. The latest statistics, released by the National Elections Commission (CNE) on Tuesday, showed that in Maputo province only 39.21 per cent of the target figure had registered. Matola was doing worse than the other municipalities in the province (Namaacha, Boane and Manhica): only 33 per cent of the estimated Matola electorate had registered.

The only province where the registration figures are worse than Maputo is Niassa in the far north, where by Tuesday only 34.87 per cent of the target figure had been reached.

Nyusi told his audience that the northern province of Cabo Delgado has already registered about 75 per cent of its electorate, and its provincial capital, Pemba, has reached 93 per cent of its target.

“But here in Maputo province we haven’t even reached 40 per cent of the potential voters”, said the President. “We have to register as voters so that we can choose those who are going to solve our problems”.

Nyusi said he noted with concern that many of those who have not yet registered are women. “This is not normal”, he said. “Women have always been in the vanguard in mobilising for processes such as voter registration. We have to reverse this trend, and Matola should set an example in this”.

As for the belief that only young people who have never voted before should register now, Nyusi stressed that this is completely wrong. Voter cards issued in previous years are now invalid, and the entire municipal electorate is being re-registered, regardless of how many times people may have voted in the past.

He stressed that everybody aged 18 and above, or who will reach the age of 18 on or before 10 October, should register.

As for harsh comments made about the low wage rise given to public sector employees, and announced earlier this week, Nyusi urged the state’s own workforce not to be deceived by what he called “politicking”.

The minimum wage paid in the public sector rises by 6.5 per cent, backdated to 1 April. That is an increase from 3,996 to 4,255 meticais a month (from 65.7 to 70 US dollars, at current exchange rates). The increase in the statutory minimum wage in private businesses ranges from six to 19 per cent, depending on sector of activity.

“There are people who want to demoralise state employees”, Nyusi said. “The state faces financial difficulties and has many workers, including teachers, nurses, policemen, soldiers, among others, and even so it has never failed to pay their wages”.

He said that those sectors which received higher increases in the minimum wage employed relatively few people when compared with the state. “What’s the point of the state granting high percentage rises, if this later creates problems?”, he asked.

Source: AIM