UN Agency Helps Mozambique Organize Elections

New York, Oct 28 2009 10:10AM

More than nine million Mozambicans are expected to vote today in presidential and parliamentary polls after a campaign where the United Nations Development Programme (http://www.undp.org/) has helped supply critical equipment, improve election officials’ skills, train journalists, raise public awareness and coordinate the work of international monitors.

UNDP says it has spent about $1.4 million in its support of the elections, the fourth since multi-party democracy emerged in the Southern African country in the early 1990s after a brutal civil war. Canada has contributed another $500,000 to help the agency in its efforts.

About 9.4 million people have registered to vote, and there are roughly 12,600 polling stations spread across Mozambique and another 104 abroad to ensure that as many people as possible are able to cast their ballots. National election authorities have trained some 15,000 registration officers, 66,000 polling officers and 1,500 civic education agents.

For the first time provincial assembly elections will be staged alongside presidential and national legislative polls.

UNDP said in a fact-sheet that it has tried to focus its assistance on improving the technical skills and resources of Mozambique’s election authorities and building legal and ethical awareness among individual officers. It has also provided computers and other equipment to ensure the printing of election-related materials.

In addition, the agency has trained journalists and political party members of new electoral laws and codes of conduct, and also advised police on appropriate conduct at voting booths on election day.

UNDP said it is also coordinating an international observer mission for the elections and will facilitate the exchange of information between the observers and the Mozambican authorities.

ENDS

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