General Elections 64-65 – 03 October 2019
Provincial Elections Commissions (CPEs) are refusing to approve more than 6000 civil society observers, with particular problems in Nampula and Zambézia. In the largest civil society observation in the history of Mozambican elections, the organised observer groups intend to have more than 11,000 observers in one-third of all polling stations. But it now appears this will be blocked by CPEs.
National and international observation groups also complain of obstruction of their observation. Both the refusals and obstruction are in violation of the electoral law.
Independent observers are key to preventing ballot box stuffing and other forms of fraud, and Nampula and Zambézia are both the largest provinces and the ones where Renamo hopes to win a majority and elect the governor. Zambézia, in particular, had serious fraud in last year’s municipal election, so observation is seen as important. Observation will also be important in Gaza, where it is said that 300,000 ghost voters were registered.
The electoral law says that civil society organisation can observe and that credentials must be issued within five days of application. CIP, publishers of this bulletin, applied for credentials more than a month ago in Zambézia and Nampula, and they have not been issued. Other observer groups report similar problems.
There are two problems: political bias and lack of staff. Observer groups that tried to submit applications for additional observers yesterday in Zambézia found no one in the STAE office to receive the applications – or to process the thousands not yet issued. One observer coordinator noted that in the office in one province of the person dealing with credentials, there was a triage. Applications from Frelimo-linked organisations were put in one pile and processed quickly; those from independent organisations such as CIP were put in another pile and pushed to one side.
Observers are also having problems in the field. Credentials are really only needed on polling days and for the count, because they allow admission to polling stations and counting centres. The campaign, by definition, is public as parties try to gain support. But there are widespread reports of observers being singled out and told they cannot watch rallies or take pictures without credentials.
In several provinces the Provincial Elections Commission says that observer credentials issued by the National Elections Commission for the entire country are not recognised within the province. In Gaza, both national and international observers with CNE badges were recently barred from observing because the did not have provincial credentials, which Gaza has stopped issuing.
The problem appears to be with provincial elections commissions (CPEs), which will not accept instructions from the National Elections Commission. In some provinces CPEs and technical secretariats are telling observer coordinators that all credentials have been issued, when 1000s have not been.
With only 11 days left before the election, it will require a major effort by the CNE and CPEs to issue more than 6000 credentials.
