The date was announced after a meeting of the Council of Ministers (Cabinet) considered proposals for the by-elections submitted by the National Elections Commission (CNE).
The by-elections have been forced by the resignations of the three mayors – Pio Matos in Quelimane, Sadique Yaqub in Pemba, and Arnaldo Maloa in Cuamba. It was initially reported that the ruling Frelimo Party, dissatisfied at the performance of the three mayors, had asked them to resign.
Frelimo has not confirmed this, and the three prefer to speak of “personal reasons” for their resignations. But in the case of Sadique Yacub, there is no doubt that he was in serious conflict with other Frelimo members in Pemba – for he was cited as saying “the comrades are out to get me”, on the front page of the weekly paper “Savana” on 16 April 2010. At the time, he was accused of incompetence, arrogance and mismanagement of municipal property.
According to the independent daily “O Pais”, Frelimo also asked the mayors of the two southern municipalities of Chokwe and Manhica, Jorge Macuacua and Alberto Chicuamba, to resign, but they have yet to do so.
Speaking to reporters, the government spokesperson, Deputy Justice Minister Alberto Nkutumula, said that the by-elections are a legal requirement. Such elections must be held whenever a mayor dies or resigns more than a year before the end of his term of office. The current mayors and municipal assemblies were elected in 2008, and their terms of office expire in late 2013.
Nkutumula also announced that the electoral registers in Quelimane, Pemba and Cuamba will be updated in the period between 13 October and 1 November. The updating exercise will allow people who have attained the voting age of 18 since the last elections to register, as well as anybody who, for whatever reason, failed to register in the past.
The voter registration brigades also deal with changes of address and can issue new voter cards to people who have lost the old ones.
Nkutumula said that the official election campaign will run from 22 November to 4 December. Under Mozambican law, no campaigning is allowed in the final 48 hours before an election.
As for the funds available for the by-elections, Nkutumula said no money is yet available, but the matter is being discussed by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of State Administration.
Frelimo and the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM) have already announced that they will stand candidates in all three elections. But Afonso Dhlakama, leader of the largest opposition party, the former rebel movement Renamo, has declared that Renamo will boycott the elections.
Post published in: Africa News