STAE and the CNE do not have the money for the voter registration, which begins in 40 days, because the government gave them a dud cheque, without the money to cover it in the bank. The government informed the CNE in late January that MT6bn ($94mn) are available for the elections. But the amount is only in the system virtually (as an accounting sum) but in real terms (sum available) it still does not exist in a form that can be used. The electoral bodies are now facing difficulty in operating the election machinery. And the supplier of equipment has not yet been paid for the materials that have arrived in Maputo.
In February, the government informed the National Elections Commission (CNE) that the overall amount for the elections was available in the system. The CNE then redistributed the amount to the Electoral Administration Technical Secretariat (STAE), immediately providing the sum of MT6bn, of which MT4bn is to pay for election equipment from the Lexton/Artes Gráficas consortium. The consortium has imported the equipment for the municipal and general elections of 2023 and 2024 respectively.
But this amount is just in the system and is not available in reality. STAE only found that the money did not really exist when its financial area wanted to use it, because it received a communication from the National Treasury Directorate that the money is only available virtually, and not in real terms – that is, there is no liquidity. Hence, not even the consortium has been paid for the purchase of material. Nor has there been any payment for other expenses inherent to the elections, some of which have already been made.
Right now, STAE does not have the resources to operate its electoral machinery. It has no information as to when the money will be made available for election operations. 40 days from now, the voter registration will begin. This means that by then all the electoral material should be in the districts where there are municipalities, and the brigade members who will carry out the registration should be hired. The money only exists in the system, but not in reality.
The consortium is using is own money for all the operations.
It should be recalled that the electoral bodies, CNE/STAE, at the end of last year submitted a budget proposal for MT14bn ($220mn) for the 2023 municipal elections. The government approved the proposals.