NIMD funded BRIDGE Workshop in Nampula, Northern Mozambique

The Mozambican Country Office of NIMD (Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy) hosted a customized BRIDGE Workshop on Electoral Dispute Resolution and Electoral Security, in Nampula, Mozambique, from 28 to 31 July 2014. The course is part of NIMD’s programme of capacity building for political parties and electoral management bodies (EMBs) in Mozambique. 21 participants from political parties, civil society organizations, media and EMBs at provincial level attended the workshop. Run in Portuguese, the course was conducted by Zefanias Matsimbe (Accrediting facilitator), Cláudio Langa (Accrediting facilitator) and Hermenegildo Mulhovo (Workshop facilitator).

The course materials were drawn from the two modules (Electoral Dispute Resolution and Electoral Security) balanced in terms of content and customized to suit the Mozambican reality. Taking into consideration the history of the country characterized by electoral conflicts and flawed electoral security that jeopardized the integrity of electoral processes, the course focused on developing a co-operative relationship between the stakeholders present in the course.

Participants rated the workshop as being “Excellent” because it allowed all stakeholders to share their experiences and some of their contradicting views and discuss mechanisms to ensure electoral security for the October 2014 general elections and best practices do prevent or deal with electoral conflicts.

At the end of the course participants commented on the fact that they have learnt a lot about the importance of the good relationship between the EMB, the media, CSOs and political parties. To show closeness, representtaives of the three main political parties, including the two former warring foes (Frelimo and Renamo), called each other ‘cousins’, meaning that they are part of the same family, the Mozambican democracy.