The use of public means to embody party activities during election campaigns is a practice that deviates from the Electoral Law. However, during the first week of the vote hunt, political parties used public resources for their own benefit in the course of their campaigns.

During this period, it was reported that Frelimo was one of the political groupings that violated the Electoral Law in this regard. But as the Mais Integridade Electoral Consortium revealed today in Maputo, the Renamo and Movimento Democrático de Moçambique (MDM) parties are practicing the same infractions.

Speaking to the press, the coordinator of the Mais Integridade Consortium, Augusta Almeida, revealed that Frelimo is the party that has made the most use of public funds to support its campaigns in the period under review.

The Mais Integridade Consortium observed 1,528 campaign events from those three political parties, including Podemos. The misuse of public resources was found in more than 200 events, corresponding to 14% of the total events observed.

"Frelimo is the party that has made the most improper use of public resources, particularly vehicles and teachers, in at least 26 events," he said.

These practices took place all over the country, with cases noted in Vilankulo (Inhambane), Chiúre (Cabo Delgado), Chókwè (Gaza), Borroma, Murrumbala, Gilé (Zambézia), Sussundeng (Manica), Moma (Nampula).

In some of these areas, Frelimo not only used teachers to lead its rallies, but also pasted leaflets inside classrooms, she said.

But also, "Renamo and MDM have been observed misusing public resources, but on a much smaller scale (2% and 1% of their events, respectively)," he said.

Frelimo, Renamo and the MDM are the three parties with seats in the Assembly of the Republic (AR). Of the 250 seats, Frelimo ended the 9th Legislature with 184 deputies, Renamo with 60 and the Democratic Movement of Mozambique with six.

Augusta Almeida explained to MZNews that since this practice is prohibited by the Electoral Law, complaints should be submitted to the institutions whose powers are to prevent these practices.

"We have to make these complaints to institutions of a public nature, which would be, in this case, the public prosecutor's office or the court to initiate proceedings," he said.

However, he made it clear that those who feel they have been wronged must take action to complain to the competent institutions.

"It won't be the Consortium. The Mais Integridade Consortium only observes the electoral process. It can't intervene directly in the processes. It's making an observation because we've only been accredited to be observers," he noted.