Mozambique: Provincial and municipal/district electoral commissions

Updated July 2005

Note: In February and June of 2007 the Assembly of the Republic passed five new electoral laws. The information on this page will be revised and updated as soon as possible. Significant here is that Law no 8/2007 26 February (governs the National Electoral Commission) replaces Law no 20/2002.

The CNE structures are elaborated at provincial and municipal/district level. These are not permanent organs (as are CNE and but structures called into being on an ad hoc basis for specific purposes such as the execution of a voter registration drive or the conducting of an election or a referendum (Law 20/02, 23 1.).

Provincial electoral commissions

Provincial electoral commissions come into being 45 days before the commencement of an operation, and cease functioning once their final reports have been submitted to the CNE (Law 20/02, 23 3.).

Provincial commissions consist of nine members each, including a president and two vice-presidents (Law 20/02, 24 1. 3.) Members are subject to the same requirements and disqualifications as members of the CNE (Law 20/02, 24 3.). The presidents are nominated by civil society formations and appointed by the President of the Republic (Law 20/02, 25 2). They are also subject to ratification by the CNE members (Law 20/02 25 10.). The other members are designated by political parties in proportion to their seats in the Assembly of the Republic (Law 20/02, 25 1. b)).

The duties and powers of these commissions are much the same as for the CNE, but on a provincial level (Law 20/02, 26). They derive their powers from the president of the CNE and are obliged to implement the CNE's instructions (Law 20/02, 25 4., 5., 26 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 20/02, 24 2., 3., 25, 26).

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

Reference

LAW 20/02 2002, October 10 [www] http://www.idea.int/africa/upload/Moz%20Electoral%20Law%2020%20CNE%202002.pdf [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 24 Oct 2007). For Portuguese see: EISA 2004 Manual sobre a Legislação Eleitoral de Moçambique - Eleições Gerais de 2004, Anexo 3, 91 - 104, [www] http://www.idea.int/elections/upload/MANUAL%20DA%20LEI%20ELEITORAL%202004%20Final.pdf [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 24 Oct 2007).