The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) has raised concerns over irregularities in vote counting during Mozambique’s recent elections, urging electoral authorities to provide clarity on the discrepancies noted.
In a statement on Tuesday, EU-EOM head of mission Laura Ballarín said her group has “noted irregularities during counting and unjustified alteration of election results at polling station and district level.”
She said as a measure to contribute to the trust and integrity of the electoral process, the EU EOM reiterated its call to the electoral bodies to conduct the tabulation process in a transparent and credible manner, ensuring the traceability of polling station results.
“The publication of disaggregated results by polling station is not only a matter of good practice, but also a strong safeguard for the integrity of results,” Ballarín said.
The observers condemned the killings of political figures Elvino Dias and Paulo Guambe at the weekend and called for restraint amid rising social tensions and electoral-related violence in recent days.
Dias and Guambe were killed by unknown assailants in Maputo on the night of October 19, sparking protests in the capital on Monday.
In a preliminary statement issued on October 11, the EU EOM highlighted ongoing observations of the electoral process, which have continued despite being hindered in some districts and provinces, as well as at the national level where observers were not permitted to monitor tabulation processes.
The EU EOM, which began its activities in Mozambique on September 1, deployed 179 observers to monitor the electoral process.
JN/APA