2024-03-21 17:35:46
The Public Integrity Center (CIP) of Mozambique denounces the existence of schemes for charging money for voter registration in Ngaúma, in amounts varying between 20 and 50 meticais (the equivalent of around 30 and 70 euro cents) for obtaining a voter card.
The information was published on Monday (18.03) in the CIP bulletin on the political process in Mozambique.
Cergueira Paulo, district director of the Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration (STAE) in Ngaúma, in the province of Niassa, denies the information, which he says was conveyed fraudulently.
In an interview with DW, the head of STAE also says that he spoke to the population and the inspectors allocated to that post, who say they were not aware of the case.
“After realizing that the information was unreal in this non-real context, we were forced to reach out to the police and report the case”, he states. “We are leaving it in the hands of the authorities for subsequent procedures.”
Process against CIP representative
Cergueira Paulo adds that the complaint was made against the CIP correspondent stationed in the Ngaúma district because she was not accredited, he claims: “We didn’t go to the body because we don’t know which body authorized her to go and work there”, he explains. “As the body that authorized it was not known, and due to lack of accreditation, the process was opened individually.”
Seninha Manuel, CIP correspondent in the Ngaúma district, states that she has no official knowledge of the process being carried out in her name.
“I’ve been hearing these rumors since the day they took me into command, they still haven’t told me anything”, he says. “These are excuses they are using. I’m hearing this about accreditation now, for them the harm is leaking information that compromised the district.”
Charges can affect population adherence
In its March 18 bulletin, the CIP details that the charges are taking place “at the Chamande census station”, where the organization’s correspondents “witnessed” the alleged illicit activity of the inspectors. “These acts are creating disorder and unrest at the post”, the document also reads.
Analyst Roberto Preto believes that, if it is indeed proven that the charges are real, this could inhibit people from coming to the census process.
“If these are real facts, this is a very strange act”, he says. “This will inhibit people’s presence at registration stations.”
In the analyst’s opinion, “the entities managing the process themselves, the CNE or STAE, should take responsibility for this and hold the people who are carrying out these unconstitutional practices accountable”.
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