Local elections to be held on November 19

After delays and confusion, Mozambicans finally get to go to the polls on 19 November to vote in municipal elections. The National Elections Commission (CNE) has furthermore confirmed that it has disqualified a candidate from the former rebel movement Renamo, Jose Manteigas, from standing for the post of mayor of Mocuba, a town in the central province of Zambezia. Reacting to claims made earlier in the day by Jose de Castro, the Renamo-appointed deputy chairperson of the Commission, the CNE official spokesperson, Filipe Mandlate, said the disqualification was because Manteigas had not shown that he was a resident of Mocuba, as the electoral law demands. Since making false statements for electoral purposes is a crime, the CNE also intends to sue Manteigas. (IRIN/Agencia de Informação de Moçambique, Maputo)