Maputo — Nampula (Mozambique), 28 Oct (AIM) - Many voters in the northern Mozambican city of Nampula arrived at the polling stations for Wednesday's general and provincial elections hours before they opened, leading observers to believe that there will be a high turnout.

At the group of polling stations set up in the Nampula Industrial and Commercial Institute, people arrived in the small hours of the morning, and marked their places in the queue with various objects.

Nampula provincial governor Felisberto Tocoli was the first to vote in the city, and praised polling station staff for their smooth organisation. "We arrived two minutes before 07.00, and the polling station was ready to receive us", he said. "In a couple of minutes I voted, and if everything continues like this, we'll meet the target".

Due to the large number of people at this polling station, the staff organised two queues - one for men and one for women, a procedure which has no basis in any law or electoral regulation. The staff are supposed to give priority in voting to the disabled, the elderly and pregnant women, but separating voters by sex is not mentioned in the polling station manual the staff are supposed to follow.

After Tocoli had voted, there were angry scenes at this polling station, since the staff also allowed other "important figures" in Nampula society to jump the queue, which annoyed ordinary citizens who had been waiting in the queue for a long time.

One detention has been reported at a polling station, when police held a monitor of the main opposition party, Renamo, accused of involvement in the destruction of sample ballot papers which are posted at the entrance to each polling station.

The monitor, Constantino Canira, told reporters he was arrested because he defended another Renamo member who did indeed tear up the sample ballot papers.

"I did not know it was permitted to post sample ballot papers at the entrance. It's the first time I've seen this", said Canira. (It is, in fact, normal procedure, and is supposed to help the voters).