Mozambique: Provincial and municipal/district electoral commissions

Updated July 2009

The CNE structures are elaborated at provincial and municipal/district level. These are not permanent organs (as are CNE but structures that are called into being on an ad hoc basis for specific purposes such as the execution of a voter registration drive or the conduct of an election or a referendum (Law 8/2007, 25.2.).

Provincial electoral commissions

Provincial electoral commissions come into being 60 days before the commencement of an operation, and cease functioning 30 days after the announcement of the results and once their final reports have been submitted to the CNE (Law 8/2007, 25.3.).

Provincial commissions consist of 11 members each, including a president; members are subject to the same requirements and disqualifications as members of the CNE (Law 8/2007, 26.3.). The presidents are nominated by civil society formations and appointed by the President of the National Electoral (Law 8/2007, 27.2-5). The other members are designated by political parties in proportion to their seats in the Assembly of the Republic (Law 8/2007, 27.1.a)).

The duties and powers of these commissions are much the same as for the CNE, but on a provincial level (Law 8/2007, 28.1). They derive their powers from the president of the CNE and are obliged to implement the CNE's instructions (Law 8/2007, 28.2.).

Municipal/district electoral commissions

Municipal/district electoral commissions fulfil the same functions as the provincial electoral commissions, but at municipal or district level. The members are designated in the same way as provincial commissions, subject to the same qualifications and are subordinated to provincial commissions in the same way that these are subordinated to the CNE (Law 8/2007, 26.2-3., 27).

The Municipal and district commissions are brought into being 30 days before an operation and cease functioning 30 days after the results have been announced and as soon as they have made their final reports to the CNE.

Reference

LAW 8/2007 of 26 February (governs the National Electoral Commission) replaces Law no 20/2002
For Portuguese see: Lei no 8/2007, [www] http://aceproject.org/ero-en/regions/africa/MZ/mocambique-lei-n-8-2007-in-portuguese/at_download/file [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 9 Mar 2010).