VZCZCXRO1378
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHTO #1162/01 3001425
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 271425Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY MAPUTO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0886
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0547
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MAPUTO 001162 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL SOCI KDEM KPAO MZ
SUBJECT: LEADING JOURNALIST ISSUES HARSH OP-ED ON RULING 
PARTY 
 
¶1.  On October 23, journalist Machado da Graca wrote the 
following editorial in the independent newspaper Savana.  He 
is a well-respected Mozambican of Portuguese descent who 
often uses satire to comment on political and social themes. 
In this article, he summarizes the doubts and concerns of 
many Mozambicans during this electoral period.  The content 
is such that we present it with no further analysis. 
 
Begin Text: 
 
Vigilance 
 
by Machado da Graca 
 
We are approaching the moment of voting in an electoral 
process in which, clearly, some wanted to win even before the 
voters placed their ballots in the ballot boxes. A process in 
which, according to several media: 
 
- The prestigious names of the independent journalist Salomao 
Moyana and leader of the Human Rights League Alice Mabota 
were steered away from the position of Head of the National 
Election Committee (CNE), in favor of Joao Leopoldo da Costa, 
an active militant of Frelimo; 
 
- The President of CNE came to enjoy the same category, and 
accompanying benefits, as the Ministers, and the other 
members of CNE those of the Vice-Ministers; 
 
- Dr. Luis Mondlane was appointed as President of the 
Constitutional Court (CC), and recently participated in the 
birthday party of General Chipande, where he was addressed as 
"comrade"; 
 
- Respected independent jurist Dr. Isabel Rupia's entry into 
the CC was boycotted; 
 
- The CC removed several candidates from the electoral race, 
citing a legal figure which does not exist in the electoral 
law, the "irremediable irregularities"; 
 
- The CNE removed a large number of parties from the 
electoral race, either totally or partially, also citing 
"irremediable irregularities". Namely, the lack of some 
documents in the candidature processes. MDM later proved, 
through convincing documentation, that it had delivered the 
documents to CNE. If they had disappeared, that had happened 
within CNE itself; 
 
- The members of CNE, should have, by legal imperative, 
resigned from any other positions held. Apparently none of 
them did, and they are still earning the same salaries; 
 
- One party, which was completely unknown, and whose minutes 
of association are not even published in the official 
gazette, the PLD, was accepted to run in 10 electoral 
provinces. Remember that the publication in the official 
gazette was one of the requirements to accept any candidature; 
 
- The same PLD received notification by CNE, providing 5 days 
to remedy some irregularities found, and dated September 1. 
Remember that CNE had published the final lists 3 days 
before, on August 28; 
 
- The same PLD remedied the irregularities, replacing 
candidates without documents for others with documents. The 
party PARENA tried to do the same but was not allowed; 
 
- Not by coincidence, the symbol of the PLD is a turkey. 
There is clearly an intention to confuse the voter who wishes 
to vote for a party whose symbol is a partridge or a rooster; 
 
- The President of UDM, Jose Viana, publicly affirmed that 
the CNE forced his party to run in the electoral province of 
Sofala, when he intended to run in other electoral provinces. 
Not by coincidence, the name of this party is easily mistaken 
with the MDM, and Sofala is one of the strongholds of this 
latter political party; 
 
- Throughout the whole campaign, Frelimo used and abused 
State means for electoral purposes, which is totally illegal. 
Several media reported, repeatedly, the use of those means, 
and nothing was done to prevent it; 
 
- The partiality of the police force was notorious, 
repressing other parties but never the abuse perpetrated by 
Frelimo followers; 
 
 
MAPUTO 00001162  002 OF 002 
 
 
- The partiality of the public media was notorious, whether 
in the spaces provided for Frelimo candidates compared to the 
opposition parties, or in content and technical quality; 
 
- The PIMO candidate was clearly bribed to support Frelimo. 
 
 
Faced with all this, this process is irremediably soiled, and 
this stain will spread to its results, whichever they may be. 
 All that's left to do is cast the votes and count the 
ballots. We have to be alert and vigilant to avoid cases such 
as the sadly famous Mr. Albuquerque who in a previous 
election added hundreds of votes, which were really 
inexistent, to Frelimo; or the case of several areas in Tete 
where the Renamo delegates were expelled from the voting 
assemblies, and the ballots boxes were filled with Frelimo 
votes, which in several cases were in higher number than the 
number of registered voters. Let's not forget the current law 
says that when this happens, those ballots are validated! 
 
Let's be vigilant, then, in this last phase of the process. 
Because, as we've been repeatedly told throughout this period 
the Frelimo party motto: "Frelimo did it! Frelimo does it!!! 
 
End text. 
CHAPMAN