Maputo — The Electoral Administration Technical Secretariat (STAE) in the northern Mozambican province of Nampula on Sunday announced cancellation of the contract with the STAE director in Ribaue district, for his involvement in illegal voter registration.
The STAE provincial director, Luis Cavalo, also announced cancellation of the contracts of the supervisor of a registration brigade and a data entry clerk, who had transported voter registration equipment to a private residence that is not one of the places approved as a registration post.
Cavala's actions followed circulation in Mozambican social media of a video showing the voter registration equipment being operated in a residence in the Iapala administrative post - which is nowhere near the Ribaue municipality.
Speaking to reporters, Cavalo presented a public apology for the behavior of his subordinates and stressed that "STAE does not tolerate this kind of behavior or illegalities'.
He added that the matter has been referred to the Public Prosecutor's Office to initiate criminal proceedings.
"We had indications of something illicit in the voter registration', said Cavalo. "First, we saw that equipment was found in a place which is not one of those approved for voter registration. The equipment was found outside of the normal hours of operation of the registration posts, which are from 08.00 to 16.00. Analysing these factors, we saw there is evidence of illicit activity'.
So STAE had taken administrative measures against the three people known to be involved, and had referred the matter to the prosecution service.
Cavalo told the reporters that illicit behavior "is not part of STAE's activity. We are guided by the principles and values of freedom, transparency and impartiality in elections'.
What Cavalo failed to mention is that the residence where the diverted equipment was found belongs to the Frelimo Party first secretary in Iapala.
A blow-by-blow account of the clandestine registration and its discovery is published in the latest issue of the bulletin on the municipal elections published by the anti-corruption NGO, the Centre for Public Integrity.
The two computers being used were taken from two official registration posts in Ribaue. In these two posts no one had been registered for a week, allegedly because the equipment had broken down - but in reality the computers were moved to other areas for clandestine registration at night.
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CIP comments that the equipment was "being used to register people outside the municipality but on computers from inside the municipality, allowing these people to vote illegally in municipal elections'.
The brigades withdrew the computers at 18.00 on Saturday for another night of clandestine registration. But on the way, they bumped into a team from the main opposition party, Renamo, including the STAE deputy district director, appointed by Renamo. The Renamo team already aware of nocturnal registration, jumped onto motorbikes to follow the STAE brigade members.
They caught up with them in Iapala, where they found them registering voters, who were supposedly Frelimo members. Caught red-handed, the brigade members and several voters fled from the scene. These events were all caught on video.
The equipment was confiscated by Renamo. The district director of STAE eventually claimed the equipment, and the issue was only resolved at midnight when the head of police operations arrived and took the machines back to the district command.
This is the third known incident of illegal voter registration outside the official registration posts, using the excuse of equipment breakdowns. The earlier incidents were in Gurue, in Zambezia province, and in Chiure, in Cabo Delgado.
It remains to be seen whether Cavalo's vigorous action will prompt the election bodies in Zambezia and Cabo Delgado to take similar measures.
