Africa-Press – Mozambique. The Mozambican government announced on Tuesday that voter registration ahead of the presidential, parliamentary and provincial elections scheduled for 9 October will begin on 15 March and end on 28 April.
The National Elections Commission (CNE) proposed the new dates after the country’s parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, changed the law on registration.
Under the old law, voter registration would have taken place from 1 February to 15 March – which happens to be in the middle of the Mozambican rainy season. All the political parties represented in the Assembly (the ruling Frelimo Party, and the two opposition forces, Renamo and the Mozambique Democratic Movement, MDM) agreed that it would be impractical to hold registration during the rains.
Heavy rain would make roads impassable in parts of the country, posing enormous difficulties for transporting the voter registration brigades and their equipment.
The CNE agreed the new dates unanimously at a plenary meeting on Saturday, and then immediately submitted the proposal to the Council of Ministers (Cabinet).
The registration will be held throughout the country, except in those districts which contain the 65 municipalities. In those districts, the electorate should already have registered for the municipal elections held on 11 October last year.
The voter cards issued to people who registered for the municipal elections remain valid, and so their holders will not be obliged to register again.
Registration in the municipalities will only be for those who reach the age of 18 before the election date, who have changed their address, or who have lost their voter card.
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