Maputo — Four candidates from civil society organisations delivered their nomination papers on time (by 15.30 on Monday) for the post of chairperson of Mozambique's National Elections Commission (CNE), the body that will supervise this year's municipal elections, and the 2004 presidential and parliamentary elections.
The sealed envelopes delivered by the candidates were opened on Tuesday at a public ceremony at the CNE headquarters, chaired by the CNE's first deputy chairperson, Angelica Salomao.
The four candidates whose papers were in order are prominent protestant churchman Rev. Arao Litsuri, proposed by the Mozambican Christian Council, journalist Salomao Moyana, who is currently director of the independent weekly "Zambeze", Alice Mabota, chairperson of the Mozambican Human Rights League (LDH), and Ana da Graca Ernesto, a teacher from the western provinc eof Tete.
The last three candidates were all proposed by the Mozambican Association for the Development of Democracy (AMODE), acting on behalf of the Movement for Peace and Citizenship. This was necessary because all candidates had to be proposed by a legally registered civil society body. AMODE is registered, whereas the Movement for Peace and Citizenship, a loose coalition of groups and individuals, is not.
The movement was set up in response to the 9 November 2000 clashes between the police and demonstrators from the former rebel movement Renamo, in which 39 people died. Several leading journalists took the initiative to form the Movement - including the late Carlos Cardoso: giving his support to the initiative was Cardoso's last political act before his assassination on 22 November 2000.
Last year, even before the Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, had elected the other 18 members of the CNE (10 appointed by the majority Frelimo Party and eight by Renamo), the Movement for Peace and Citizenship held meetings, culminating in a national seminar on 6 December, in order to find candidates for CNE chairperson.
A fifth would-be candidate, Delfim de Deus Junior, of the Association for Human Rights and Development (DHD), was disqualified because his documentation was incomplete. He had not included the minutes of the DHD meeting which supposedly chose him as its candidate.
From among the four valid candidates the other 18 CNE members must now choose the chairperson, who will later be sworn into office by President Joaquim Chissano.
The CNE will discuss the merits and demerits of the candidates on Wednesday, and will announce its decision on Wednesday evening.
