General Elections 85 – 22 October 2019
Key aspects of the electoral process, such as security challenges, voter registration, campaigns and selective observer accreditation have compromised the integrity of the elections,” said EISA in an interim statement this morning.
EISA reports that of 6955 observers they trained, election commissions illegally refused to accredit 3000. Of those accredited, “some were prevented from observing voting and tabulation in Gaza, Nampula and Zambézia provinces”. Attempts at observation were further frustrated because at some polling stations in Zambézia and Nampula, the results sheets (editais) were not posted outside polling stations as required by law.
The refusal to grant credentials to EISA-linked observers made it impossible to carry out planned provincial parallel counts (PVTs, parallel vote tabulations) in Tete and Zambézia.
By moving around observers to fill gaps, EISA was able to carry out a national PVT based on reports from nearly 2500 polling stations (out of 20,590 – a 12% sample), as well as a provincial PVT in Nampula based on reports from 600 polling stations (out of 3486 – a 17% sample).
A PVT is based on the final results as announced at the polling station and posted in the edital, and thus it does not take into account any manipulation during the voting or counting.
EISA argues that “Parliament should consider an inclusive and holistic revision of the electoral legislative” to either harmonise the existing different electoral laws or to create a single electoral code. “Parliament should consider further reforms to strengthen the institutional framework for electoral administration in order to make provincial and district structures accountable to the CNE,” EISA adds.
This is a polite way of saying provincial and district elections commissions and STAEs should be stopped from taking instructions from Frelimo instead of CNE.
