Mozambique Likely to Delay Provincial Elections
By Daniel Hollingsworth
May 24, 2007

Provincial elections currently planned for late 2007 in Mozambique will likely be delayed, and the country’s ability to meet its constitutionally-mandated deadline for these elections is in doubt. Mozambique’s National Statistics Institute (INE) has advised that voter registration should not coincide with the country’s population census, which is currently scheduled for August.  Joao Loureiro, President of INE, explained that conducting the registration too close to the census will likely cause confusion with respect to the registration status of potential voters, as individuals who have been interviewed for the census may mistakenly believe they have registered to vote. 

A gap of one or two months between the census and registration would necessarily push the later stages of the electoral process into Mozambique’s rainy season.  Storms during this period would leave many roads impassable, preventing the transport of necessary election equipment to parts of the country.  Such a scenario in the presidential and parliamentary elections of 2004 prevented 43 polling stations in Zambezia province from opening.

Mozambique’s constitution mandates that the first provincial elections be held by February 2008; a rainy season lasting from October to February puts this deadline in doubt if full participation is to be available.  The two major parties, Frelimo and Renamo, have insisted on adhering to this constitutional requirement, while smaller parties are calling for the provincial elections to be conducted along with the presidential and parliamentary elections in 2009, despite the constitutional provisions.   

Reference:

AllAfrica.com:  Mozambique: Provincial Elections This Year Look Impossible

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