Renamo, in the Massinga district of Inhambane, accuses electoral bodies of falsifying election data and of registering people who are not of active voting age to take part in the October 9 elections, reports CIP's Political Process Bulletin.

According to the CIP Bulletin, Renamo also denounced the existence of strange young people at the voter registration offices and the collection of voters' cards. The data tampering, according to the source we have been quoting, took place between April 7 and 13.

Renamo also says, quoted by the same source, that the data for the period in question "is not true". STAE has been registering people who are not of voting age.

Renamo points out that the phenomenon is taking place throughout the district. In the town of Massinga, children were registered at the Massinga Secondary and Vocational schools and at the Conze, Mudauca and Marul EPCs.

Renamo also accuses STAE of introducing "ghost voters on mobiles". According to the document presented by Renamo, the operation is led by the head of the Electoral Organization and Operations Department of the Massinga district STAE, assisted by computer technicians

from the provincial STAE. The operation was allegedly authorized by the district director. As evidence, Renamo claims that in three weeks - between March 15, when the census began, and April 6 - STAE registered 10,168 voters.

These figures coincide with those of the parallel register kept by Renamo's inspectors. But between April 7 and 13 (in one week), the district STAE presented new data with abysmal differences. In other words, it announced that it had registered around 21,000 voters. According to Renamo, there were 17,000 ghost voters registered in one week.

Renamo presents some schools where ghost voters have been registered. For example, at the Massinga Vocational School, the data its inspectors have shows that 111 voters were registered, but the new STAE data points to 1500 voters.

At the Mudauca EPC registration office, 166 voters were registered, but the adulterated STAE data shows that 1562 voters were registered. The phenomenon of ghost registrations also occurred at the registration offices of Massinga Secondary School, Tsinela EPC, Coshuene, Murrie, Mahocha, Balane, Tevele, Rio das Pedras, Conze, Unguana, Matingane, Nhacache and Mucuacua.

In the document to which we have had access, Renamo also accuses STAE of having allowed a group of young outsiders to set up at the registration offices and schools. The Youth League, as Renamo calls it, contains a nominal list of pupils who are not of electoral age, supplied by the principals of the schools.

Renamo also says that the collection of voters' cards is underway throughout the district, an act led by school principals and neighborhood secretaries on behalf of the Frelimo party.

 (CIP Bulletin)