Africa-Press – Mozambique. Staff of the public administration, who were displaced from Mocimboa da Praia to various other districts, must return to Mocímboa da Praia by the end of this month. Anyone who does not return will not receive their wages. The order comes from the district government, and was issued on the eve of the start of voter registration.
The government decision can be interpreted in two ways. The first concerns the fear that Renamo had already expressed that Frelimo wants to force elections in Mocímboa da Praia due to the advantage it has in counting on the support of public administration employees. Indeed, the forced return of these employees, without any advance warning, seems to prove Renamo right.
But the second interpretation is that the government decision results from the conditions set by the multinational TotalEnergies for resuming its operations. Total is imposing as a condition for resuming its activities the full functioning of public services in Mocímboa.
Many of the staff from the Mocimboa da Praia public administration are still in the camps set up for people displaced by the war, and are in the districts of Pemba, Metuge, Chiure, Montepuez, Mueda, and Macomia, among others. They do not yet have anywhere to live in Mocímboa da Praia, since their houses were completely destroyed by the insurgents. Thus the district government has given staff until 30 April to return.
CNE has decided: there will be elections in Mocímboa da Praia
The National Elections Commission (CNE) decided on Monday (17 April) that both voter registration and elections will take place in the municipality of Mocimboa da Praia. Renamo had been calling for the exclusion of Mocimboa da Praia from the elections, on the grounds that there are no security conditions for registration in the district, and it opposed the decision to hold the registration only within the municipal area rather than in the entire district.
For their part, the representatives of Frelimo on the CNE argued that voter registration should be held only in the municipal area, where there are adequate security conditions.
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