Maputo — A prominent Mozambican NGO, the "Decide' Electoral Platform, has called for the creation of an independent electoral tribunal to replace the discredited National Elections Commission (CNE).
The organization's proposal was presented on Wednesday to the committee organizing the "inclusive national dialogue' (COTE), which is based on a document signed last year by President Daniel Chapo and nine political parties. The country's parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, then transformed the document into a law.
The main opposition figure, Venancio Mondlane, who was runner up in the 2024 presidential election, was not involved in those discussions, and his political party, Anamola, had not yet been formed. But once Anamola had been set up, Mondlane expressed its interest in taking part. Nonetheless, Anamola has not yet been given a seat on COTE.
Wilker Dias, the "Decide' Electoral Platform chairperson, told reporters that the contributions presented to COTE result from consultations carried out by his organization across the country.
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According to Dias, while the CNE needs to be restructured, its executive body, the Electoral Administration Technical Secretariat (STAE), must be abolished.
"In the current political context of Mozambique, it is crucial to restructure CNE and move forward with the abolition of STAE. We concluded that STAE has been one of the main vehicles for electoral fraud. Its composition and level of partisanship has become a central piece in widespread fraud. The support it provides to one party or another is decisive for the election results, and this completely compromises the credibility of the process', he said.
Dias explained that CNE can assume STAE's tasks through an internal office responsible for electoral management. "Therefore, the appointment of CNE members should be made exclusively from civil society, through a public tender, with five independent members', he said.
"We also propose a single seven-year term, allowing the members to follow the entire electoral cycle, prepare for elections, produce reports, and complete their mission without external pressures', he added.
The current CNE has 17 members plus "support bodies' in all the provinces. STAE is structured at central, provincial and district levels. This means there are literally thousand of electoral officials, most of them appointed by political parties.
According to Dias, his organization's is also proposing the creation of a single identification document that combines tax identification numbers, voter registration card, driver's license.
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"This measure would reduce red tape and prevent fraud, ensuring greater efficiency in public management', he said. It would eliminate the absurd current system, whereby the entire electorate is re-registered every five years.
Dias also called on the justice authorities to assess the case of those citizens detained for political reasons related to mass demonstrations that aimed at protesting against the allegedly fraudulent results of 2024 general elections.
"It is essential that the national dialogue includes measures for social pacification', he added.
