24 July 2008
Maputo — Mozambique's National Elections Commission (CNE) and 23 extra-parliamentary political parties have reached agreement stating very clearly that public notaries and registry offices must not charge would-be candidates in the forthcoming municipal elections for their services.
Among the requirements for candidates are a criminal record certificate, and copies of their identity document and voter's card "authenticated" by a public notary.
It was already perfectly clear in the electoral legislation that, for electoral purposes, such documents must be provided free of charge - and so parties were angered to find that the registry offices were demanding payment. They regarded this as extortion, and submitted a petition to the CNE demanding that the law be respected.
Worse still, candidates found that to obtain a simple declaration that they are bona fide residents in the municipality, they had to pay a series of petty officials - the block chief, the neighbourhood secretary and then the municipal administration.
Following these complaints, the CNE was obliged to contact the registry offices and remind them of the relevant provision in the electoral law. On Tuesday, CNE chairperson Joao Leopoldo da Costa promised the political parties that the registry offices and the notaries would no longer try to squeeze money out of candidates for the local elections.
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