The National Electoral Commission (CNE) says it needs air resources to transport the Members of the Polling Station (MMV) who will be working on polling day, as well as more sensitive materials that will be arriving a few days before the general elections take place.

"At the moment, we are requesting air resources so that we can transport the MMVs that will be working on that day [of voting] and also those more sensitive materials that will be arriving a few days before the elections take place," said CNE spokesman Paulo Cuinica yesterday, Monday (30), speaking at a press conference on the state of preparations for the general elections on October 9.

In a publication by AIMThe CNE said it was concerned about security in the areas targeted by terrorist attacks in Cabo Delgado province, in the far north of Mozambique.

"The issue of security worries us a lot. [However], we believe that we will be able to have elections in these places, everything within the electoral bodies' power is being done, and we hope that the Defense and Security Forces will in fact guarantee the necessary conditions so that the elections can take place smoothly," said Cuinica.

The source stressed, however, that the electoral bodies are already inspecting the voting materials that will be used in the districts ravaged by armed insurgent action.

"We relied on the security guaranteed to us by the Defense and Security Forces, that's what we trust," said the CNE spokesman.

Mozambique is holding its seventh presidential elections on October 9, in a process for which around 184,310 MMVs are already being trained to serve the 26,330 polling stations that are available, of which 602 polling stations in the diaspora will be served by 4,214 MMVs.

Running for president are Daniel Chapo, supported by Frelimo, Ossufo Momade, supported by Renamo, Lutero Simango, supported by the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM) and Venâncio Mondlane, supported by the Optimist Party for the Development of Mozambique (PODEMOS).

(Photo DR)